The Minnesota Vikings are “open to doing a deal” with quarterback Sam Darnold, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on SportsCenter Friday. He further noted that a franchise tag is “not the likeliest path.”

“I’m told the Minnesota Vikings are open to doing a deal with Sam Darnold,” Fowler began.

“People I’ve talked to around the league believe that the franchise tag is not the likeliest path in Minnesota…that’s a high number of around $40 million. So Minnesota’s stance seems to be that they’re not gonna 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.”

Fowler then spoke on quarterback JJ McCarthy, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft who missed all of last season after suffering a torn meniscus during a preseason game. He also discussed the possibility of the Vikings retaining Daniel Jones, who they picked up and placed on the practice squad after the New York Giants parted ways with him last November.

“What was made clear to me, though, is JJ McCarthy is the franchise quarterback at some point, whether that’s six months or now, 12 months, 18 months, they have not made that firm determination yet, but he will be the guy, so whoever steps in this year is essentially a bridge quarterback. Daniel Jones could make some sense. I’m told that he’s still on the table as an option. He was in the building last year. He would be a cheaper alternative to Sam Darnold.”

Darnold, who was added on a one-year deal as a bridge quarterback of sorts last season, was sensational for the 14-win Vikings, amassing 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdowns. His breakout campaign led to his first-ever Pro Bowl appearance.

Darnold was great for much of the year, and that should certainly suit him well in free agency.

His year did end in tough fashion, with the Vikings scoring just nine points apiece in the regular season finale (a 31-9 loss to the Detroit Lions to decide the NFC’s No. 1 seed) and the NFC Wild Card round (a 28-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams).

Still, Minnesota doubled its win total from the previous year and finished ninth in scoring in part because of Darnold’s play.

Based on Fowler’s report, it’s clear that Darnold wouldn’t be seen as the long-term solution at quarterback, simply because McCarthy is the answer there. The question, then, is whether he can find a new team elsewhere that would give him a good deal.

Fowler reported on Darnold last month after the Vikings’ season ended and said teams have “forecasted him in Geno Smith/Baker Mayfield weight class of contracts.”

Smith is on a three-year, $75 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks. Mayfield is on a three-year, $100 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That would mean a huge raise for Darnold, who had a one-year, $10 million contract with the Vikings. It’s certainly possible a QB-needy team lands him on a deal in the Mayfield/Smith range, and that could potentially preclude him from heading back to Minnesota. For now, though, it’s all up in the air until free agency gets going in March.