Sam Darnold Hits Free Agency After Career-Best Season

A Breakout Year with the Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is set to enter free agency after delivering the best season of his career in 2024. Darnold posted career-highs with 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdowns, completing 66.2% of his passes. These impressive stats ranked him fifth in touchdown passes, eighth in attempts, and ninth in completions across the league.

With such a strong profile, Darnold is poised to be one of the top quarterbacks in the free-agent market this offseason. However, despite his breakout season, questions remain about his long-term value after a disappointing finish to the year.

Darnold’s Thoughts on His Future In his first public comments since the season ended, Darnold admitted he has been thinking about his next move but declined to reveal his plans. Speaking on SiriusXM NFL Radio on January 31, he said:

“I’ve put a little bit of thought into it. I’m not going to share anything about what I’ve been thinking or, obviously, the conversations I’ve had behind closed doors. There’s a lot that’s going to happen still, even after the Super Bowl. So, I’m just going to continue to talk to my agent and figure things out from there.”

Darnold’s stance suggests he is weighing his options carefully, as multiple teams could be in the mix for his services.

A Season of Redemption Under Kevin O’Connell Darnold’s resurgence under Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell played a significant role in boosting his value. As ESPN’s Matt Bowen noted on January 29:

“Darnold had a bounce-back year under Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota, as his 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdown throws both ranked fifth in the league. His decision-making late in the down is still questionable, and he had a 14.8 QBR over the Vikings’ two losses to end the season. But with his arm strength and mobility, Darnold will have options on the market given the need for the position across the league.”

Despite his strong overall performance, Darnold’s struggles in the final two games of the season raised doubts about his ability to be a consistent franchise quarterback.

What’s Next for Darnold in Free Agency? ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Darnold is expected to command a deal in the range of Baker Mayfield’s three-year, $100 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024. Potential landing spots include the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants, both of whom may seek an experienced quarterback rather than relying on the draft.

“Several execs have Darnold in that Baker Mayfield range of contracts, which is around three years and $100 million with strong guarantees,” Fowler wrote. “The Raiders and Giants — both picking outside the top two spots in the draft — might need to pay a quarterback.”

While these teams have been linked to Darnold, there is no guarantee they will be aggressive in pursuing him. The free-agent market for quarterbacks is shaping up to be unpredictable, and only a couple of teams need to enter a bidding war to drive up Darnold’s price.

Is Darnold Still in the Vikings’ Plans? NFL insiders, including ESPN’s Dan Graziano, believe Darnold’s strong market value could price him out of the Vikings’ plans, especially with young quarterback J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings.

Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe pointed out the difficulties facing quarterback-needy teams this offseason:

“The prospect pool is way down, to the point where some personnel executives around the NFL don’t believe there’s a franchise signal-caller in the draft, and the veteran market doesn’t have a prized asset, either.

Of course, teams will also explore the veteran market, but there are more temporary fixes than long-term solutions. Sam Darnold was viewed for a while as the best player available, to the point where it seemed to be a lock he’d get a contract worth north of $40 million annually, but his poor play over the Minnesota Vikings’ final two losses has scared teams. It’s unclear how his offseason will transpire at this point.”

With a market full of question marks, Darnold’s potential suitors will have to balance his career year against his inconsistent past performances.

Darnold Reflects on His Comeback Season Darnold’s 2024 campaign earned him multiple accolades, including Fox Sports’ Comeback Player of the Year and the Pro Football Writers of America’s Most Improved Player award. Reflecting on his season, Darnold emphasized his mindset and approach to the game:

“It was all about taking it one day at a time,” he said. “I know it’s cliché, and I’ve kind of had that answer a lot even throughout the season. But that’s truly what my mindset was even from the very beginning when we started in April.

That’s how I took it throughout the season because you can get lost. You can get lost in a lot of the narratives and a lot of the things that people are saying about you, good or bad. So for me, it was just about keeping my head down. Putting in the work that we need to put in throughout the week to just go 1-0 that week. And that was not only my mindset, but I feel like the whole team’s mindset throughout the season.”

A Critical Offseason Decision Awaits Darnold’s even-keeled approach has served him well throughout his career, but his upcoming free agency decision could shape the next phase of his journey. Whether he remains with the Vikings or signs a lucrative deal elsewhere, one thing is certain: Sam Darnold is about to make the biggest move of his career.