Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold signed a one-year deal with the purple team last March, while general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafted Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy six weeks later.
Where Will Sam Darnold End Up?
The 27-year-old played brilliantly in the first 16 games of the 2024 season but collapsed with everything on the line in Week 18 and the postseason.
In the end, the Vikings were a classic one-and-done.
Generally speaking, however, as Darnold has rekindled his career in the Twin Cities, these are the eight most likely landing spots for Darnold next season, updated for January, assuming Darnold doesn’t re-sign in Minnesota.
8. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts will likely stay committed to Anthony Richardson — they better — and the current QB2, Joe Flacco, is elderly by NFL standards.
Indianapolis could sign Darnold to a deal in the ballpark of two years and $60 million and let Richardson watch and develop in 2025.
This destination isn’t all that likely, but it cannot be entirely excluded from the list. It all depends on the Colts’ front office’s offseason opinion of Richardson.
7. Cleveland Browns
Cleveland is already paying Deshaun Watson mucho dinero, reducing the odds of Darnold ending up with Kevin Stefanski’s team. His next two cap hits are brutal. However, if Jameis Winston leaves this offseason, the Browns will need another startable backup plan because, well, Watson isn’t very good.
That could be Darnold, and he’d be in good hands with Stefanski, a former quarterbacks coach for the Vikings.
The hurdle here will be money. Watson’s cap hit in 2025 is $73 million, so quarterback dollars on the budget are more than robust.
Kirk Cousins is also a name to monitor for Cleveland.
6. Los Angeles Rams
If Matthew Stafford retires after this season — that’s a realisticpossibility — circle Darnold as the number-one-with-a-bullet-option to take over in Los Angeles.
If the Vikings offense can cook with Darnold at QB1, so can the Rams’.
Darnold could also venture to Los Angeles as Stafford’s backup and plan for Staffordian afterlife.
It’s also worth noting that Stafford has just $4 million guaranteed left on his current deal. This offseason could be a jump-off point, and Darnold + McVay would click. This would be a copy-paste of Baker Mayfield establishing himself as the Buccaneers’ long-term starter.
5. Tennessee Titans
Will Levis still has plenty of time to develop into a startable NFL quarterback, but will the Titans have the patience?
Tennessee may seek a high-end backup in 2025 or cut bait with Levis altogether. That would make Darnold a solution from two angles — insurance for Levis or a bridge quarterback to a passer drafted in April.
Still, the Titans have fallen in the Darnold Probablility Sweepstakes because they can make it easy by drafting Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward.
4. Seattle Seahawks
Not long ago, the Seahawks signed Geno Smith as their long-term QB1 solution. They have the DNA to do it again with Darnold, who’d represent an improvement over Smith if he carries his newfound skill set from Minnesota to Seattle.
Smith’s contract has no more guaranteed money. If the Seahawks miss the postseason, the 2025 offseason seems like a natural divorce point.
Darnold could feast with DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kenneth Walker III, and Zach Charbonnet.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s unclear if the Steelers plan to “run it back” with Russell Wilson or Justin Fields after absolutely faceplanting in December and January.
Pittsburgh also faces an eerily familiar situation comparable to the 2022 NFL Draft when it force-drafted Kenny Pickett. The 2025 draft class is somewhat similar to that.
Rolling with Darnold could bide the Steelers some time before drafting a starter in next year’s draft, which is already considered more promising.
2. New York Giants
The Giants released Daniel Jones in November a stunning development because he was the QB1 solution after defeating Minnesota in the playoff less than two years ago. He ended up with the Vikings. Imagine that.
Like Minnesota this year, New York will likely invest high-round draft capital in a quarterback and then desire a veteran to show that man the ropes.
Darnold would be a wise fit, and he’d basically do for the Giants in 2025 what he did for the Vikings in 2024.
Also remember — this version of Giants leadership must win now. They might not have time to wait on a rookie.
1. Las Vegas Raiders
The start of the “bridge quarterback” options, Las Vegas could ink Darnold in March to patch him over to a rookie that the Raiders draft in April.
Las Vegas is virtually guaranteed to draft a quarterback, and if that guy needs a few games to acclimate — see: Drake Maye in New England this season — Darnold would be up for the task.
The Raiders have so many holes to fill on the roster that adding Darnold and keeping its draft picks adds up. There’s also the Tom Brady angle — part owner of the Raiders — who’s spoken glowingly of Darnold lately.
Some believe the Raiders might trade up the draftboard for Sanders or Ward, but they should stay put and build out the roster while focusing on 2026 or 2027 for a rookie passer. Darnold can be the bridge starter indefinitely — just like Geno Smith in Seattle.
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.