NFL free agency gets underway in four days, and the Minnesota Vikings have about $63 million to spend during the weeks-long event. The 2025 NFL Draft shakes down six weeks later in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Minnesota will have four picks.
ESPN Narrows Sam Darnold’s Next Team to 2 Spots
And the first portion of next week will be dominated by all things Sam Darnold, the Vikings’ QB1 in 2024, as the 27-year-old will either re-sign in Minnesota at a price of the Vikings’ choosing, or he’ll join a new team from the open market.
According to ESPN, Darnold is set to become a Las Vegas Raider or a New York Giant. The sports media giant offered bold predictions regarding NFL free agency this week, and for Darnold, the two separate landing spots emerged.
“Quarterback Sam Darnold will sign with the Raiders. He had a big 2024 season finishing fifth in the league in passing yards (4,319) and passing touchdowns (35), and the Raiders desperately need a signal-caller,” ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky wrote.
The Raiders are the oddmakers’ favorite to sign Darnold and have held the status for about a month.
Former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum delivered a different take, though, with the Giants. “Darnold will sign with the Giants. This gives the Giants a much-needed starter at quarterback and reduces any potential risk of going into the draft without this critical position solidified. They could then draft a blue-chip player at the top of the first round,” Tannenbaum argued.
If Darnold leaves in free agency, his departure will enable Minnesota to grab a compensatory draft pick in 2026 or at least factor in the NFL’s complicated formula. General manager Adofo-Mensah experienced the phenomenon with Kirk Cousins last offseason. Minnesota will likely pick 97th in the 3rd Round of April’s draft because of his free-agent exit.
The club would then presumably turn to 22-year-old J.J. McCarthy for QB1 duty next season, a man drafted by the purple with the 10th overall pick last April.
Should ESPN have it wrong, a Vikings reunion, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Indianapolis Colts, or the Tennessee Titans could be on the menu for Darnold.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, one of the NFL’s top insiders, a Vikings-Darnold contract is likelier than most expect. Schefter, in short, thinks Darnold will be a Viking in 2025.
“And it would not be surprising if the two sides figured out some type of short-term contract that enabled the Vikings to get Sam Darnold, that enabled him to get paid, that enabled them to run it back in the event that J.J. McCarthy is not fully ready this season from his knee injury or struggles in the preseason or experiences whatever type of setback there is,” Schefter said this week with free agency just around the bend.
“So, to me, Sam Darnold to Minnesota makes sense, but now that he’s not going to be tagged, other teams are going to have their say.”
Spotrac estimates Darnold’s average annual value at $40.1 million.
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.