Sam Darnold’s future has very much been in the balance over the course of the past 48 hours since the Minnesota Vikings‘ upset loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.

Once considered to be $50 million/year quarterback prior to his final two highly disappointing games of the season, it seems as if Sam Darnold‘s value has started to plummet’s, with NFL agent, Joel Corry of CBS giving some tough thoughts for the former #3 overall pick.

“A deep Vikings playoff run with a strong showing by Darnold might have put him in a position to practically name his own price along the lines of Jordan Love with the Green Bay Packers…

Darnold would have had a good chance to become the 10th quarterback in the $50 million-or-more-per-year club from the Vikings or some other team…Both things seemingly are out the window because of how Darnold and Vikings ended the season.”

It has also been reported that this was never the case, and that his contract was instead always set to mirror more closely the Geno Smith/Baker Mayfield deals, who were signed to $25 million and $33 million/year contracts, respectively.

With that being the case, it seems like the Vikings may not have the scramble for Darnold’s services assembled as they may have initially assumed. This is reminiscent of last offseason’s trade value disparity concerning then Chicago Bears QB, Justin Fields – whom insiders thought was worth a day 2 pick in the 2024 draft, but ended up going for just a 6th round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As a result, the benefits of tagging Darnold, which will set the Vikings back a projected $41+ million may be limited, as franchises could be reluctant to pay the former Jet a considerable amount of money – and likely sign him to a big money extension – in addition to also giving up valuable compensation. All for a player who has had one good season and who seemingly “choked” when the lights were brightest.

Minnesota Vikings Could Keep Sam Darnold For Another Year

Consequently, Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report has the Minnesota Vikings as one of top landing spots for the still-young quarterback to be playing for in 2025.

“Yes, the Vikings spent a first-round pick on Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy in 2024. McCarthy has also never thrown an NFL pass that counted and is coming off a meniscus tear…

Given how the last two games played out, Darnold signing a long-term extension north of $45 million per season would probably get Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drug-tested. But Darnold is an ideal candidate for the non-exclusive franchise tag.

That would give Minnesota a number of options at a reasonable salary. Tag-and-trade. Refuse to match another offer and get two first-rounders in return. Or keep Darnold for one more year while making sure McCarthy is ready to take the reins in 2026.”

And whilst this may not enthuse many Minnesota fans who were looking forward to seeing former #10 overall pick, JJ McCarthy, this could well be the smart move for a team who will want to hedge against injury relapse or poor form from their young 2nd year QB – on a roster that is build to win now.
Daniel Arwas Daniel Arwas is a sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com. Daniel began his career in sports writing in 2022 and has covered the NFL and college football for Gridiron Heroics and The Hammer. More about Daniel Arwas