Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold might have cost himself some money over his last two games of the season, but far from all of it.

It remains unclear whether Darnold will be back in Minnesota next season or land elsewhere via free agency, which he can explore come mid-March if the Vikings don’t extend him before then. Regardless of who Darnold signs with, his career campaign in 2024 will pay him better than ever before in his seven-year NFL tenure.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked Darnold as the ninth-best free agent heading into the offseason and projects that he will sign a three-year contract worth $41.25 million annually ($123.75 million in total with $70 million fully guaranteed).

“The debate surrounding Darnold in the 2025 offseason will likely focus on whether he can be more than just a bridge quarterback,” PFF wrote. “While his raw stats look impressive … his performance in key areas is more mixed, with 31 big-time throws balanced by 21 turnover-worthy plays.”

GettyQuarterback Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings.

Darnold should have a strong market if he becomes a free agent — not only because he threw for north of 4,300 yards and 35 touchdowns, but also because the draft and free-agent classes are unusually weak.

Only two collegiate quarterbacks have first-round grades, and the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns who pick at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, are both in need of signal callers.

As such, franchises like the New York Giants (No. 3), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6) and New York Jets (No. 7) may all be interested in adding Darnold depending on how their offseasons play out. Teams later down the board, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 21) could also be interested.

According to PFF’s ratings, Darnold is far and away the highest-ranked quarterback on the free agent list, with Justin Fields coming in a full 10 spots later at No. 19 overall.

J.J. McCarthy Complicates Sam Darnold’s Future With Vikings

GettyQuarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.

It isn’t often that a team turns around a quarterback’s career the way that Minnesota flipped the script on Darnold after six bad-to-mediocre seasons with three different teams before landing with the Vikings and head coach Kevin O’Connell in 2024.

The difference is that Minnesota spent the No. 10 overall pick last April on rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Had McCarthy never suffered a knee injury during preseason action in August, Darnold may never have put up the kind of year he was able to achieve last season.

The Vikings initially signed Darnold to a one-year deal as a bridge quarterback with the expectation that McCarthy was the future of the franchise. That Darnold played so well and that the team won 14 regular season games makes Minnesota’s call tougher on what to do next season and beyond.

That said, McCarthy is on a relatively inexpensive deal for the next three seasons that includes a team option for the Vikings in 2028. He will also play next year at just 22 years old, while Darnold is five years his senior and going to be significantly more expensive.

Minnesota can sign Daniel Jones, who they picked up mid-season after the Giants cut him, to a one-year prove-it deal and put him in competition with McCarthy (or make him McCarthy’s backup) for far less than it will cost to keep Darnold around.

Given that reality, and the number of QB-needy teams there are around the NFL this offseason, it is more likely that some other team pays Darnold big money and he plays somewhere other than Minnesota next year.