The tone around Sam Darnold has changed dramatically in just two weeks.

Once pushing conversations to garner a contract worth over $100 million, Darnold’s final two games of the Minnesota Vikings‘ season have put his future into question.

The 27-year-old quarterback dropped back-to-back games in a pivotal Week 18 matchup with the Detroit Lions and a season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Rams to close what was otherwise a transformational year.

He was considered too good for the Vikings to just let walk to free agency, deemed the No. 1 quarterback poised to reach the market. The franchise tag seemed like a shrewd move for Minnesota, who could either keep him or find a trade partner and recoup a valuable draft pick for Darnold.

However, that plan has taken a hit with Darnold folding in two of the biggest games of his career.

Sam Darnold’s Late-Season Struggles Cloud His Future

For the first time as a Viking, Darnold logged a passer rating of under 100.0 in back-to-back games in his final two starts of the season. He had his clunkers but often rebounded with resounding poise in the regular season.

Darnold threw 18 touchdowns and just two interceptions in his final eight games of the regular season. However, in the first half of Monday’s loss to the Rams, he threw an interception and fumbled the ball, which resulted in a 57-yard scoop-and-score. Darnold gave 14 points off turnovers to a Los Angeles team that took a commanding 24-3 lead at halftime.

The game had already felt over as Darnold calmed down but could not mount any meaningful comeback. Darnold was rattled throughout the game, a byproduct of eight sacks by the Rams defense — six of which came in the first half.

The Vikings offensive line bears some of the blame. However, Darnold’s tendency to hold onto the ball was exploited as he couldn’t hasten his progression and looked reckless in the pocket.

What this means for Darnold, whose $10 million deal with the Vikings expires in March, remains to be seen.

His trade value has surely plummeted for a Minnesota franchise that has J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings. Darnold played well enough to land a starting job, however, the tag-and-trade now comes with a more inherent risk if the Vikings cannot find a willing trade partner.

Vikings Poised for Pivotal 2025 Offseason

For the past five offseason, the Vikings haven’t had the cap space to splurge on premiere free agents with Kirk Cousins atop their cap sheet.

That included the 2024 season despite Minnesota moving on from the veteran quarterback. The Vikings were on the hook for $28.5 million in dead cap, paying out the remaining bonuses of Cousins’ contracts that were kicked onto void years of the deal.

It’s a common accounting trick that many teams do to force open their Super Bowl window. In total, the Vikings had over $70 million in dead cap in the 2024 season, the fifth-most of any team in the league.

While many impact free-agent additions were made in the 2024 offseason, that’s only the beginning for a Minnesota franchise that has $69.5 million in cap space to spend in free agency.

There are some potential departures to address with six of the seven starting members of the secondary poised to reach free agency, but Minnesota’s roster is positioned to get even better and improve many areas of the roster.

Position groups of concern like the defensive and offensive interior should benefit from a bulletproof signing or two after the Vikings tried to cover the holes with Band-Aid solutions during the Cousins era.