The Minnesota Vikings have a slightly precarious situation at quarterback that needs to be settled in the coming months.

Had Sam Darnold had the sort of ending to the season that his 35 touchdown, 4,319 season would have commanded, this could have been an even more difficult decision for Minnesota.

But with poor performances that lead to consecutive losses in Week 18, and then again as favorites in the Wild Card round against the Los Angeles Rams – where the Rams did not even have true home field advantage – it became more clear that the Vikings could very well move on from Darnold at the end of the season. And can do so with what would now be fairly minimal fear that they had let a premier, elite signal caller walk out the building.

Regardless, there are still multiple factors at play, including Darnold’s contract demands moving forward, given his 1 year deal is up come March; JJ McCarthy‘s injury progress; and what compensation other teams may be willing to give up for Darnold this Spring.

It could well be that the former #3 overall pick is franchise tagged for what is likely to be a figure of approximately $42 million, and then subsequently kept on or traded. But if the Vikings feel that they would not re-coop more than a 3rd round pick; the expected compensatory pick value of Darnold leaving; and they avoid going on on a free agent spending spree themselves, which would render any compensatory picks futile, they may feel it would be more worth their time and effort to let their QB test the market.

Which Team Will Sam Darnold Land On Next?
In doing so, Darnold would likely receive offers from quarterback-needy teams that are not picking in the first two picks in the upcoming draft – with Miami QB, Cam Ward; and Colorado QB, Shedeur Sanders, expected to both be gone by pick #3 at this point.

That leaves the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets amongst the many teams vying for his services.

But PFF has a different team in mind of who they think would be the best fit for Darnold should he hit free agency this March.

Mason Cameron of PFF believes that the ideal landing spot for the former Jet is the Las Vegas Raiders.

“Although the redemption arc of Darnold returning to New York would be poetic” Mason asserts, “the Jets have too many questions at quarterback and likely not enough cap space to facilitate a deal for their former No. 3 overall pick. However, Las Vegas projects to hold the second-most cap space this offseason and currently sits outside of the range of one of the top passers in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Raiders are in the process of a complete overhaul and are currently without a general manager, head coach or stable quarterback. With Tom Brady weighing in at the ownership level, this team could identify Darnold’s breakout 82.0 PFF overall grade in 2024 as more than just a flash in the pan. But much has to fall into place from now until March.”

Las Vegas Raiders Projected As Top Landing Spot For Sam Darnold
On paper, the Raiders have been a borderline disaster for the past two decades since their Super Bowl loss in 2003 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, recording just two winning seasons in the 22 years since – an almost unbelievable statistic.

So it stands to reason that the Raiders would be a potentially horrible fit for any quarterback, particularly one as sensitive to his environments as Darnold has shown to be.

But with a much improved offensive line that saw much improvement with the additions of rookies Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze, and perhaps the most dangerous tight end in the league in rookie, Brock Bowers, the it is a far more enticing quarterback destination than it was 12 months prior.

And with new freshly appointed general manager, John Spytek, having his choice of strong head coaching candidates; from ex Jets HC, Robert Saleh, to current Bills OC, Joe Brady; this could well become a place that a quarterback may actually be able to thrive.

Can Sam Darnold single-handedly bring back the Raiders to winning ways, no. Could he be an excellent option if Las Vegas – under the new guise of GOAT, Tom Brady, get their hires and new additions right, quite possibly.
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