The 2024 NFL season is officially over after the Philadelphia Eagles stomped the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX Sunday evening. Now that a champ has been crowned, the Eagles and Chiefs will turn their focus to the NFL offseason, which began weeks ago for the Minnesota Vikings and 29 other teams.
Here in Minnesota, the 2025 offseason hinges on one domino that needs to fall before any other major moves can be made when the new league year begins next month. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell must decide whether or not to re-sign, tag or let their Pro Bowl quarterback Sam Darnold walk in free agency.
While it is possible Darnold returns to Minnesota next year for an encore performance to his 66.2% completion rate, 4,319 passing yards and 35-to-12 TD/INT ratio from 2024, but the likelihood isn’t high. Whether via trade or free agency, it’s much more likely Sam will be wearing a different football uniform in 2025. But what jersey will that be?
If Sam Darnold leaves the Minnesota Vikings where does he land?
Well… according to Adam Schefter (ESPN), there is one “team to watch” in the Sam Darnold sweepstakes, as this offseason gets going and it’s the Las Vegas Raiders. Tom Brady’s new team feels like it’s a QB away from being pretty good. Thus, it makes sense they’re eyeing the best unrestricted free agent quarterback scheduled to hit the market.
Russell Wilson or Justin Fields? 🤔
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 9, 2025
Sam Darnold to Las Vegas? 👀
Rodgers to run it back in New York? ✈️ @AdamSchefter lays out some off-season storylines to look out for. pic.twitter.com/EvNPTwxzNP
“The Vikings have said that they’d like to bring [Sam Darnold] back but that is not going to be cheap. The franchise tag remains an option. One team that I would watch with Sam Darnold moving forward would be the Las Vegas Raiders. I think at some point in time, they’re likely to have some interest in trying to bring Sam Darnold to Las Vegas, we’ll see if they can make that happen.”
Adam Schefter – ESPN
The number of teams interested in Sam Darnold is pertinent information for Vikings fans, and not just because he’s worn a purple jersey. The number of teams courting Sam Darnold is directly related to how big his competing contract offers will be. That, in turn, affects how likely it is Minnesota will get something in return for losing a top-15 QB who is only 27-years-old.
All signs point to JJ McCarthy being healthy and ready to compete for the Minnesota Vikings QB1 role this offseason and into training camp. If true, it’s difficult to imagine Darnold — who could make $30-$40 million per year (for multiple years) on the open market — would choose to return to the Vikings on a short term deal where he has to compete for a starting job.
MN Vikings could franchise tag Sam Darnold
That’s why, if the Vikings want to block Sam from leaving in free agency, but don’t want to pay him long term, they’ll likely have to franchise tag him. Placing the franchise tag on Darnold would force him to return on a one-year deal worth about ~$40 million. Once tagged, he can also be traded.
Related: NFL Insider Confirms When JJ McCarthy is Expected Back for Vikings
If the MN Vikings want immediate value back for Sam leaving, the franchise tag is their only realistic option. That’s a bit risky, though, because if they tag him and can’t find a trade partner willing to meet their price after, they’d be left stuck with a $40 million QB they don’t want long term and an unnatural-feeling QB competition in training camp that nobody involved wants to be a part of.