Individuals associated with the Minnesota Vikings understandably aren't thinking about the offseason, but outsiders continue to wonder how the club will handle the short-term futures of starting quarterback Sam Darnold and rookie J.J. McCarthy after Darnold guided the club to a 13-2 record as McCarthy spent the campaign recovering from a complete meniscus repair.
For a mailbag published on Friday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated said that the Vikings will "have to think about the idea of franchise-tagging Darnold for 2025" even though they remain high on McCarthy.
"It’s not unprecedented, either, for whatever it’s worth," Breer explained about such a plan. "In 2004, the Chargers drafted Philip Rivers to replace Drew Brees. Brees then won the job in camp, had a dynamite 2004 season, and the Chargers tagged him in ’05 — he injured his shoulder at the end of that season. In the long run, though, that circumstance worked out for everyone involved."
Of course, Brees joined the New Orleans Saints in March 2006 and became a legend for the franchise.
At least one NFL executive said earlier this month that the Vikings should retain Darnold's rights for 2025 via the franchise tag rather than let him reach free agency when the new league year opens in March. The Athletic's Alec Lewis subsequently pointed out that Minnesota should, on paper, have more than enough salary-cap space for next season to allocate "around $41M for Darnold" on the tag and build around him.
"McCarthy’s been out since August, and I wouldn’t expect that he’d be able to show much until the spring," Breer noted about the Vikings potentially using the franchise tag on Darnold. "You’ve got a good roster full of players that should have a win-now expectation."
According to ESPN stats, Darnold began Friday ranked fifth in the NFL with 32 touchdown passes, seventh with 3,776 passing yards and fourth among qualified players with a 105.4 passer rating for the season. Heading into Minnesota's home game against the 11-4 Green Bay Packers this coming Sunday, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Darnold second among the betting favorites at +450 odds to win the Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Unless Darnold produces a nightmare performance during the upcoming postseason tournament, it seems unlikely the Vikings will let him leave the club for nothing in March. It remains to be seen how the 27-year-old would react to being tagged. Still, such conversations can be saved for when Minnesota finishes its final season game in either January or February.
