No one is quite sure about what the future holds for Minnesota Vikings quarterback, Sam Darnold; whether he will end up staying with the organization or moving on to a different team, in order for JJ McCarthy to get a chance to become the team’s franchise quarterback.
There have been significant fluctuations on Darnold’s valuation on the open market, particularly after his late-season meltdown in the Vikings’ final two games.
However, despite the likely dip in price from his projected peak, when some thought he could end up commanding as much as $50 million/year at the turn of the new year, it seems that he will be taken care of after all.
Field Yates, speaking on the Pat McAfee Show, said in slightly mysterious fashion that the former #3 overall pick, will “do well for himself” this offseason.
“Sam Darnold is gonna do well for himself”@FieldYates #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/NoixbJ0ZFH
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 27, 2025
Sam Darnold Set To Receive A Big Contract This Offseason
Regardless of what transpires, Darnold is set to receive a massive pay-rise from the 1 year, $10 million deal he signed last offseason with the Vikings.
If the consensus is that teams are willing to pay the former Jet in excess of $40 million/year, Minnesota could franchise tag him and trade him for draft compensation; that is, if a franchise likes the Pro Bowler enough to both give him a big contract and give up picks for him.
Otherwise, the Vikings could take the opposite route of letting him walk, where they will very likely receive a compensatory late 3rd round selection in 2026 in return, as long as they do not bring in a high priced free agent in exchange to cancel it out.
And if they take the third route; giving him a long-term deal in-house to stay; this could spell the end of the road for last year’s #10 overall pick, JJ McCarthy, who has spoken about his desire to get opportunities to start this fall.
Where Could Darnold Land To Get Paid?
By staying in-house, Darnold could end up taking less money than other more desperate, QB-desirous franchises, would be willing to pay him. The Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers have all been touted as viable options for the signal caller, who remains just 27 years old going into his eighth year in the NFL.
The Raiders, under the ever-increasing influence of minority shareholder, Tom Brady, will be looking to shore up the QB position that has been highly unstable since the departure of longtime franchise quarterback, Derek Carr.
Whilst the Giants’ head coach, Brian Daboll, and general manager, Joe Schoen; having been granted one more year by owner, John Mara; know that they need to win now in order to stay employed by the organization in 2026 and beyond.
And though Pittsburgh does not have the pressure of the first two teams to finally be somewhat decent, the team is yearning for a true franchise-quality quarterback after the failures of the Kenny Pickett and Russell Wilson experiments over the past two years.
The decision could come down to whoever signs the chequebook with the most zeros, or perhaps Darnold has a specific target in mind that he’s hoping to play for in the near future