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The Minnesota Vikings have until March 4 to use a franchise or transition tag on quarterback Sam Darnold, but the latest intel from a respected insider is that the franchise tag is unlikely and that Minnesota probably won’t invest big money to bring Darnold back.

“I’m told the Minnesota Vikings are open to doing a deal with Sam Darnold,” said Jeremy Fowler on ESPN Thursday. “People I’ve talked to around the league believe that the franchise tag is not the likeliest path that Minnesota would take. That’s a high number around $40 million. Minnesota’s stance seems to be that they’re not going to mortgage the future for Sam Darnold.

“If he’s getting major bank with another team somewhere else, they probably won’t mortgage their future in that regard. But they’re certainly open to having him back. They loved having him.”

The franchise tag is estimated to run at $41.3 million in 2025, while the transition tag would cost about $35 million. With the franchise tag, a tag-and-trade scenario could unfold and help Minnesota restock a rather bare draft cupboard. The transition tag would allow Darnold to still receive offers from other teams, and Minnesota would have the right to match any offer.

Either way, Fowler’s report echoed other reputable insiders who seem to be leaning towards Minnesota handing the keys to J.J. McCarthy, either in 2025 or shortly thereafter.

“What was made clear to me though is J.J. McCarthy is the franchise QB at some point,” Fowler continued. “So whoever steps in this year is essentially a bridge quarrterback. Daniel Jones could make some sense. I’m told that he is still on the table as an option. He was in the building last year. He would be a cheaper alternative to Sam Darnold.”

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If Fowler is correct and a non-McCarthy starter in 2025 is simply a bridge quarterback, then paying Darnold $41.3 million on a franchise tag wouldn’t make sense when they just paid him $10 million to essentially be the bridge to McCarthy in the first place.

Logically, Jones getting $10 million as the bridge QB seems more likely. In that scenario, one would still expect a QB competition to give McCarthy a chance to win the job outright in training camp and the preseason.