The Minnesota Vikings couldn’t trade quarterback Sam Darnold this season even if they wanted to, but that could be in the cards next spring.
Darnold has been awesome in 2024, but part of the credit is owed to head coach Kevin O’Connell’s scheme and the high-level skill players around Darnold on the roster. Darnold is about to get a whole lot pricier, with Spotrac projecting his $10 million annual salary this year will jump up to $36 million in each of the next four seasons.
That increase would significantly mitigate Darnold’s value to Minnesota. However, letting him walk in free agency for nothing isn’t necessarily a smart move, and it certainly won’t be popular among the locker room or Vikings fans if the team offers a strong showing in the playoffs.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell last week pitched an interesting solution that could prove a win-win for both sides. Minnesota could use the franchise tag to keep Darnold tethered to the roster in 2025 at a monster pay raise to somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 million for one year, then explore the trade market for a QB-needy partner that can help the Vikings restock their shelves as they transition from Darnold to rookie J.J. McCarthy — the No. 10 pick in the most recent NFL draft.
“Franchise-tagging Darnold has to be a serious possibility,” Barnwell wrote on December 9. “The Vikings wouldn’t want him to sign the tag, but with Darnold hoping to land a multiyear guarantee, he probably wouldn’t do so immediately. Minnesota could shop him in the hopes of landing a more significant haul, which would limit his ability to pick where he goes next.”
Vikings Can Buy Time to Make Big Decisions on Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy
Barnwell’s notion is something of a balancing act that doesn’t just offer the Vikings and Darnold a win-win solution in the short-term, but also provides more runway for the team to figure out what it has in McCarthy.
The Vikings wouldn’t need to trade Darnold until the league’s mid-season deadline, which means they wouldn’t need to throw McCarthy immediately into the fire. The team could also decide to extend Darnold long-term and deal McCarthy, should Minnesota come out hot again in 2025.
“The Vikings don’t know what they have in McCarthy, but the one thing they can say with some confidence is that their quarterback-in-waiting will be cheaper,” Barnwell continued. “McCarthy will be entering Year 2 of a four-year, $21.9 million deal that will have a cap hit of just under $5 million next season.”
Delaying Major QB Call Worked for Vikings With Kirk Cousins
This strategy is tantamount to kicking the can down the road on a long-term QB decision, though that isn’t always the worst thing.
Minnesota did that a couple of times with Kirk Cousins and it once resulted in a division crown and hosting a playoff game in 2022, O’Connell’s first season as head coach. In this scenario, it would provide both time and options for a franchise that isn’t in trouble at the position but still faces an interesting conundrum on how best to move forward.
In the meantime, the franchise is focused on the task at hand. The win over the Chicago Bears on “Monday Night Football” moved the Vikings to 12-2 and into a three-way tie for the NFC lead with the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles.
Minnesota can claim the NFC North and capture the No. 1 seed/home-field advantage throughout the playoffs by winning its final three games.
