Vikings can secure their future with Sam Darnold by making a move he probably won’t like
Things continue to look good for the Minnesota Vikings. They put a whooping on the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter to get a 42-21 victory. After the Falcons scored a game-tying touchdown and two-point conversion, the Vikings rattled off three consecutive touchdown drives with quarterback Sam Darnold throwing five touchdown passes, three of which […]
Things continue to look good for the Minnesota Vikings. They put a whooping on the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter to get a 42-21 victory.
After the Falcons scored a game-tying touchdown and two-point conversion, the Vikings rattled off three consecutive touchdown drives with quarterback Sam Darnold throwing five touchdown passes, three of which to Jordan Addison and two to Justin Jefferson.
With Darnold playing extremely well, what do they do with him when the season ends? It's a difficult question to answer, but there is one solution that could maximize the Vikings' future.
Vikings should make this move with Sam Darnold
As of Sunday, the Vikings had not yet discussed a contract extension with Darnold. It's no surprise that the discussion hasn't begun, as teams don't often talk extensions during the season and Darnold would be smart to not discuss one until the season is over.
What should the Vikings end up doing? Should they sign him to an extension? Well, that might not be the smartest route with J.J. McCarthy still on the roster waiting in the wings.
What about the franchise tag? That's exactly what Jonas Stärk mentioned on the Vikings 1st & SKOL postgame show.
The franchise tag is an interesting idea for the Vikings. Would they be willing to make the move to secure Darnold staying one more year? Let's look at what it would take.
The Vikings currently have a projected $76.4 million in salary cap space for the 2025 season, which is more than plenty to absorb a one-year deal. Over The Cap is projecting the franchise tag number to be $41,304,000. It would be easily absorbed and potentially give McCarthy another year to learn behind Darnold before taking over the franchise.
Why would the Vikings do this?
This is the biggest question when it comes to the franchise tag. They have McCarthy waiting in the wings and it would set that plan back a year. It would also be very anti-player, which is against what the Vikings' culture has become. Sure, Darnold would end up getting nearly $42 million but it could hurt his market for a long-term deal significantly.
Why would the Vikings end up franchise tagging Darnold? Simple: to trade him.
The quarterback market is in dire straits this offseason. If you need one, there are very few viable quarterbacks on both the free agent market and coming out in the NFL Draft. You have the likes of Daniel Jones and a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers on the free agent market and the only true first-round quarterbacks look like Miami FL's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and even those prospects will bring up varying opinions from draft analysts.
The idea behind franchise tagging Darnold would be less about keeping him and more about trying to get some draft capital from a team desperate for a franchise quarterback. Teams like the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers could all be looking to improve that position.
If multiple teams decide to target Darnold, the Vikings could take advantage of a bidding war and get some much-needed 2025 NFL Draft capital. Considering some team's desperate need of a talented quarterback, the Vikings could potentially get a high second-round pick or potentially a first-round pick if a team is desperate enough.
Adding that draft capital could be a huge win for the Vikings. They currently have just three picks in the 2025 NFL Draft with one in the first round and two in the fifth round. They are projected to get a third-round pick for losing Kirk Cousins in free agency, but only having four picks is far from ideal for a team trying to load up for a Super Bowl run.
This path would still give Darnold the ability to discuss contract terms with each team but it would be frustrating for him in that his path would still be controlled by the Vikings.
The big question with this process is whether or not it would actually work. Last year, there was a lot of discussion about the Cincinnati Bengals doing so with wide receiver Tee Higgins. Well, that didn't end up happening but it has happened a few times before.
- Kansas City Chiefs traded DE Dee Ford to the San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks traded DE Frank Clark to the Kansas City Chiefs
- Miami Dolphins traded WR Jarvis Landry to the Cleveland Browns
- Houston Texans traded DE Jadeveon Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks
At the end of the day, nobody truly wins in this situation, but it would behoove the Vikings to try and find a way to get draft capital this season in return for Darnold if they do choose to move on from him. They could potentially get a third-round compensatory pick for him in 2026, but that might not end up being a factor for the team until 2027.
There is no perfect option here, but getting something back would be a good thing for the Vikings.