Feb 1, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws the ball during NFC Practice for the Pro Bowl Games at Camping World Stadium.

nfl

Vikings Not Likely To Use Tag On Sam Darnold

The answer to Sam Darnold's future may not be a franchise tag!

Feb 1, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws the ball during NFC Practice for the Pro Bowl Games at Camping World Stadium.

With the deadline for tagging players just hours away, the Minnesota Vikings have all but confirmed their decision to not tag quarterback Sam Darnold. This is a crucial decision for the Vikings as Darnold played a crucial role in their 2024 campaign last year, leading the team to a 14-3 record and into the postseason.

Last season was the best season of Darnold’s career thus far and that too by a long shot. Minnesota also drafted J.J. McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft and were pondering whether to start him or hand the reins to Darnold for one year before a preseason injury ruled the former out for the season. Eventually, McCarthy’s loss was Darnold’s gain.

Why Minnesota May Not Be Keen On The Tag

The Vikings are in a bit of a pickle when it comes to making this decision. Despite having signed Darnold as a bridge quarterback for McCarthy, their plans went haywire once the latter tore his meniscus and the former Jet’s quarterback took over.

After having a career year where he threw for 4,319 yards and 35 passing touchdowns, Darnold looked at ease under Kevin O’Connell and his offense, especially with the likes of Justin Jefferson to throw to. There is still the possibility of tagging and then trading him to get back some sort of draft capital.

Also Read: Jalen Hurts’ lookalike at NFL Combine sparks debate

However, it is going to be McCarthy’s show in Minnesota and to keep Darnold on by franchise tagging him will cost them north of $40 million. The truth is that, while Darnold’s brilliant season last year was a huge win for the Vikings, his value has shot up and what Minnesota got for a mere $10 million will now require four times the amount of money to keep him.

Having said that, reports also indicate that the NFC North franchise is keen on keeping Darnold in the team but that would be if the two parties can mutually agree on a contract extension rather than applying the tag.

Vikings QB Sam Darnold is unlikely to be franchise tagged ahead of Tuesday’s 4 pm ET deadline, per league sources.

Minnesota still is interested in working to re-sign Darnold, but it is likely to be without any tag. pic.twitter.com/wJLma2AIzs
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2025

Where Could Darnold Land If He Leaves Minnesota

There are several teams on the lookout for a quality signal caller this year. Add to that the general understanding that the 2025 draft class is a weaker one at the position, franchises in need of a signal caller will be jostling up for one in free agency.

Heading into the draft, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are the top two quarterbacks in the class and the Browns, Giants, and Raiders all need to sort their quarterback woes. If any of these teams are not completely sold on Ward or Sanders, then they may turn their attention to free agency, and in that case Darnold would be at the top of the list based on his recent performances. There is a high probability that the Giants or the Raiders could be interested in the 27-year-old’s services.

Read More: Cam Ward Names His Top 5 QBs in the NFL

Minnesota Vikings

NFL

Sam Darnold

sam darnold franchise tag

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!