Projected to be the NFL‘s No. 1 free agent quarterback in the upcoming offseason, Sam Darnold is going to land a starting job for the 2025 season.
And if the Vikings are committed to first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy, Darnold’s next contract will not be signed in Minnesota.
However, there looks to be an opening in the city where Darnold was once cast away.
The New York Giants benched $160 million quarterback Daniel Jones entering Week 12, a telltale sign that the six-year Jones era has come to a close.
USA Today penned Darnold as a potential replacement for Jones by next season.
“His reward for a resurgent season with the Vikings is likely another trip to the open market and his fifth different team in six years. Though he has posted a career-best 100 passer rating, Darnold doesn’t seem to be any threat to hold on to the starting job past this season, with first-round pick J.J. McCarthy expected to take the reins after missing his entire rookie campaign due to a knee injury,” associate NFL editor Michael Middlehurtst-Schwartz wrote on November 18.
“After a 5-0 start during which he earned NFC Offensive Player of the Month honors for September, Darnold stumbled a bit and saw his turnover-happy play resurface with a combined five interceptions in wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts. That operating style might only be able to be mitigated rather than eradicated, leaving the Giants to weigh how much risk tolerance they have after enduring Jones’ giveaways. Still, he would surely unlock more in the deep passing attack with his aggressive approach.”
Sam Darnold Puts Forth the Career-Best Game by PFF
The former No. 3 overall pick by the New York Jets is proving his early-season success is no flash in the pan. He earned a 90.8 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade for his Week 11 performance, the highest single-game grade of his career.
But beyond the recent turnover issues, Darnold has shown to have a short memory. On a play-by-play basis, Darnold has rarely found himself in a rut and makes.
That’s made his 8-2 start to the season undeniable and enough reason for a team to give him a chance as their starter next season.
Darnold, who has not seen a lucrative, multi-year contract since his rookie deal expired, is expected to cash in. Spotrac projects him to land a deal worth $32 million a year — far outside the Vikings’ price range to bring him back to, at best, compete for the starting job with McCarthy.
Vikings Unlikely to Ditch J.J. McCarthy Plan
Appraising Darnold’s outlook at the halfway point of the season, Vikings radio host Paul Allen does not see a situation where Darnold stays in Minnesota due to the new regime’s plan to build around a rookie-scale quarterback contract.
That plan would remain intact even if Darnold brought the Vikings a Super Bowl, according to Allen.
“I mean, if Sam Darnold wins the Super Bowl as QB of the Minnesota Vikings, he’s not getting $100 million guaranteed here,” Allen said on a November 12 episode of the “#92Noon!” radio show, referring to the expected multi-year contract Darnold will garner in free agency. “He’s not, because [general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah] in that group has worked so hard for two and a half years to get salary cap flexibility.”
