]

Sam Darnold’s Re-Adjusted Trade Value Raises Eyebrows..ANHTRUC.

The Minnesota Vikings can only trade quarterback Sam Darnold if they extend him to a multiyear contract or franchise tag him in order to maintain his player rights in 2025.

Both options are expensive and potentially risky. However, given the thirst for quarterbacks from at least a half dozen teams around the NFL and the relatively weak draft and free agent classes at the position, it makes sense for the Vikings to retain Darnold if only for the purpose of dealing him for draft capital in the coming months.

The “Locked on Sports Minnesota” podcast floated the essentially unprecedented move of franchise tagging Darnold and then trading him on Thursday, Jan 23.

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) reacts against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“There’s not a lot of precedent for a quarterback of this age, coming off the season he had — especially when there might be mutual agreement between the player and the team that it will be a tag-and-trade situation going in,” Sam Ekstrom said. “I don’t know if that’s ever happened.”

Co-host Luke Inman noted that while Darnold’s trade value was arguably in the range of a first-round pick heading into the final game of the regular season, his last two performances against the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams, respectively, tanked that value to a significant degree.

“Now your market feels like a third-rounder, late second at the very best,” he said. “Maybe somebody overpays and is willing to cough up their second [round pick] just so they don’t have to get in a bidding war.”

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Inman’s less optimistic appraisal came in considerably lower.

“Something like a fourth and a sixth [round pick],” Inman said in his assessment of Darnold’s trade value ahead of free agency in March. “Dream scenario: late second, early third. Realistic scenario: two later picks — like a fourth and a 2026 fifth, which is still better than nothing.”

The Vikings have just one first-round selection and two fifth-rounders in the 2025 draft as of Thursday.

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy could likely command a first-round selection as well as a couple of later picks down the line in this draft and/or the next. However the 22-year-old is more likely to remain in Minnesota after Darnold struggled down the stretch.

Related Posts

BREAKING: Nascar star Bubba Wallace warns ahead of Kyle Larson scandal, ‘I’m leaving…’. Full story 👇-wiwiwi

BREAKING: Bubba Wallace Threatens to Leave NASCAR Amid Kyle Larson Scandal In a shocking turn of events, NASCAR star Bubba Wallace has issued a stern warning following…

NFL B0MBSHELL: Lions Pressured to ‘Immediately’ Cut Ties With $7.7 Million Player -wiwiwi

Getty The Detroit Lions are in a good place with players heading into the new season, but they may want to trade one player who isn’t working…

WE ARE FAMILY: 49ers’ George Kittle Delivers Heartwarming Claim on Brock Purdy -wiwiwi

Former Iowa Hawkeyes tight end George Kittle has dropped a heartwarming statement on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San…

Congratulazioni!! “Un nome unico!” Rafael Nadal e María Francisca Perelló hanno sbalordito i fan mentre si preparano per l’arrivo della figlia, rivelando un nome unico che ha conquistato il mondo. “È un omaggio alle nostre radici e ai nostri sogni!”-wiwiwi

In un annuncio toccante che ha causato un’ondata di shock nel mondo del tennis e non solo, Rafael Nadal e sua moglie, María Francisca Perelló, si stanno…

¡¡Felicidades!! “¡Un nombre único! Rafael Nadal y María Francisca Perelló han sorprendido a los fans mientras se preparan para la llegada de su hija, revelando un nombre único que ha tomado al mundo por sorpresa.” ¡Es un homenaje a nuestras raíces y nuestros sueños! “-wiwiwi

En un conmovedor anuncio que causó conmoción en el mundo del tenis y más allá, Rafael Nadal y su esposa, María Francisca Perelló, se preparan para dar…

Farewell to an icon: Jeff Gordon, NASCAR legend and Fox Sports television host, has…-wiwiwi

🏁 Farewell to an Icon: Jeff Gordon, NASCAR Legend and Fox Sports Television Host, Has Officially Stepped Away — The End of a Glorious Era Charlotte, NC…