Vikings QB Appears to Say Goodbye
Rather unceremoniously, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold might’ve said goodbye to his employer and teammates late Friday night.
Vikings QB Appears to Say Goodbye
The 27-year-old quarterbacked the Vikings in 2024 after rookie J.J. McCarthy tore his meniscus and totally bedazzled onlookers for 16 games. Darnold accounted for 36 total touchdowns and 4,319 passing yards while inserting his name on the fringe of MVP chatter for four months.
And with his future up in the air, Darnold posted — what seemed like — a sentimental goodbye note on Instagram.
“Year 7… So grateful for my teammates, coaches, and the entire organization. We created memories and relationships that will last a lifetime and we got to do it in front of the best fanbase in the world #SKOL,” Darnold wrote Friday evening.
Darnold is not overly active on social media, and most fans considered the post a miniature farewell address. NFL free agency is about six weeks away, and pundits classify Darnold as the top quarterback commodity on the open market.
There’s always a chance that social media users misconstrued the photo and caption, but Darnold can likely command between $30 million and $45 million from a quarterback-needy franchise. On the other hand, the Vikings have the aforementioned McCarthy waiting to seize the QB1 job on an affordable contract until the end of 2028.
Sportsbooks predict McCarthy will start in September for Minnesota, not Darnold.
If Darnold’s comments were a goodbye, where will he go next? Well, about seven NFL teams could reasonably employ him in 2025 and upgrade from their 2024 starter. Some early offseason steam has suggested the Las Vegas Raiders as Darnold’s most likely landing spot because that organization was the only club that entered last season with absolutely zero plan at quarterback for the future. Las Vegas is scheduled to pick sixth in April’s draft, not deemed prime real estate for a rookie passer because Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) and Cam Ward (Miami) will probably be gone be then.
Las Vegas also hired John Spytek as its general manager, and he just witnessed firsthand Baker Mayfield’s revival in Tampa Bay. The Raiders, too, hired Pete Carroll late this week as head coach, and his former team, the Seattle Seahawks, has a recent history of starting reclamation passers.
In addition to Las Vegas, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, and Indianapolis Colts could be landing spots for Darnold.
Darnold’s teammates from the Vikings roster flocked to applaud him in the comments on the Instagram post.
He’ll turn 28 in June. Darnold won the 2024 PFWA Comeback Player of the Year award on Friday.
The Vikings could re-sign Daniel Jones at QB2 for 2025 if Darnold signs elsewhere.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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