The prospect of Sam Darnold re-signing with the Minnesota Vikings after this season seemed slim — but a berth in the Super Bowl looked like a bar that, if he reached, could force the issue.
However, according to Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen, even a Super Bowl victory may not be enough for Darnold to stay in Minnesota.
“I mean, if Sam Darnold wins the Super Bowl as QB of the Minnesota Vikings, he’s not getting $100 million guaranteed here,” Allen said on a November 12 episode of the “#92Noon!” radio show, referring to the expected multi-year contract Darnold will garner in free agency. “He’s not, because [general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah] in that group has worked so hard for two and a half years to get salary cap flexibility.”
Allen added that while he wants Darnold to play well and go far in the playoffs, keeping the quarterback position affordable in Minnesota is what the new Vikings regime has strived to do since they parted ways with Kirk Cousins in March. They simply do not plan to pivot from their five-year plan with rookie J.J. McCarthy, who is still an unknown in the NFL.
The Vikings are 7-2 with Darnold this season. While a three-interception game against the Jacksonville Jaguars has caused some concern, the 27-year-old quarterback is poised to reach career highs in nearly every passing category.
On his current pace, Darnold is projected to finish the regular season with 338 completions on 493 pass attempts (68.5%), totaling 4,044 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions.
Vikings Are Ahead of Schedule With Sam Darnold
While the Vikings’ aspirations remained high, this season was considered their rebuild by swapping Cousins for Darnold for a year while McCarthy developed.
The cap savings from moving on from Cousins have fueled the defense’s resurgence.
The Vikings signed Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman — all top-100 free agents in Pro Football Focus’ 2024 rankings — to multi-year deals. They also had the cap space to splurge on Aaron Jones in free agency and added cornerback Stephon Gilmore late in training camp.
Minnesota struggled to outbid other teams for big-ticket free agents during the Cousins era because so much of their cap space was consumed by a pricey veteran quarterback contract.
There still is the small possibility that Darnold could hoist the Lombardi Trophy and receive a hero’s welcome by signing a lucrative extension.
But, according to Allen, that won’t be with the Vikings, who could spend $62.8 million in effective cap space (the fifth-most in the league) next season to bolster other parts of the roster and plug in McCarthy on an affordable contract for four more years.
Vikings’ Shopping List for 2025 Offseason
The Vikings’ rebuild came together quickly given the drastic improvements to the defense that have come with the help of seven new defensive contributors.
This year’s rehaul was done largely on a budget with over $68 million in dead cap sunk, primarily from paying off the remainder of Danielle Hunter and Cousins’ contracts.
The Vikings have a clean slate to work with in 2025 and could make upgrades at several positions. The entire starting cornerback room is playing on expiring contracts and could see notable additions in free agency and the draft.
Minnesota has also sought a dominant defensive tackle and could be in the market to pay for a premium difference-maker at the position.
And the biggest bane to Vikings fans over the years could also finally see reasonable investment: the interior offensive line. A guard signing seems like a must for McCarthy in his first year under center.
Running back could also be a position Minnesota could look to resolve in free agency if Jones doesn’t re-sign.
