MARCH 4: Minnesota’s decision is now official. No tag will come to pass before today’s 3pm CT deadline, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The sides will continue to discuss a deal, but Darnold is now less than a week from exploring the open market with far more momentum than he carried into 2024.
Other teams have been linked to the resurgent passer, which stands to make it difficult for the Vikings to retain him before he reaches free agency. The team has until 11am CT March 10 to negotiate exclusively with its 2024 starting quarterback. With the Vikings and Dolphins respectively passing on Darnold and Jevon Holland tags and the Cowboys re-signing Osa Odighizuwa, the 2025 tag deadline — still 20-plus minutes away — looks like it will only include two players hit with the tag (the Bengals’ Tee Higgins and Chiefs’ Trey Smith).
MARCH 3: The Vikings are not expected to place the franchise tag on quarterback Sam Darnold, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Darnold was one of this offseason’s strongest tag candidates after turning his career around in Minnesota last year.
On a one-year, $10MM deal, Darnold posted career-bests in several statistical categories and ranked fifth among all quarterbacks in passing yards and touchdowns. However, he ended the season on a low note, making an already-tough decision even more difficult for the Vikings. They could tag Darnold in the hopes that he can lead them deeper in the playoffs in 2025 or let him hit free agency and risk losing a bidding war.
Minnesota seems to have chosen the latter, though the team still has interest in retaining Darnold. They will have to do so without a franchise tag, thereby eliminating the possibility of a tag-and-trade.
A Darnold franchise tag has been considered unlikely for a few weeks. At $40.2MM, the quarterback franchise tag is too high of a one-year cap burden for the Vikings. Minnesota has the seventh-most cap space in the NFL, according to OverTheCap, but they have several starters hitting free agency that they will have to re-sign or replace.
Free agency makes the most sense for Darnold, too. After playing for four different teams over the last five years, he may be looking for a long-term home in the NFL. The Vikings still see 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy as their quarterback of the future, so any deal with Darnold would be a short-term pact. By hitting the open market, Darnold will have more flexibility to negotiate a long-term contract with the potential to incite a bidding war between QB-needy teams.
Darnold to Titans
Been saying this for weeks. Titans is literally the best spot for him right now. He elevates that team to 10 or 11 wins and get him more WRs he has even more leverage in 2026
10-11 wins? Darnold won’t have the sons to throw to. TEN doesn’t have the roster strength MIN has.
Aaron Rodgers step on down! Complete the Brett Farve cycle. It is your destiny. Bring Davante along to pair with JJ and Addison.
Honestly, this has to happen.
Makes more sense than signing Darnold longterm or relying on JJ to start next season.
It’s beautiful.
I had assumed the tag was in play for the benefit of another 1 year look at Darnold.
This makes absolutely no sense and will not happen.
Please, no no no.
It’s only 1.5 years in Minnesota and get to go to the NFC championship next year
the prophecy foretold him never being good for NYJ anyways
If Rodgers joins the Vikings my Packer fan head will explode.
But if the prophecy comes true, then that means Jordan Love will have a Hall of Fame career. And I’m good with that.
Love will play for the Jets in 2033. Because.
Makes sense. I think people on here are too quick to dismiss Darnold after last year (not that I think he’s a star all of a sudden), but the Vikings built their last offseason around getting a rookie QB and leaving themselves enough cap space to build around him despite being short some draft picks. That doesn’t work if they pay Darnold. Spending that money in free agency means they won’t get a comp pick when Darnold signs elsewhere. McCarthy will still be the youngest quarterback in football, I think. I’m guessing they bring back Daniel Jones to go with him.
Having Jones is the real key here. No point in keeping Darnold. If McCarthy doesn’t work out, they can at least field an experienced NFL QB.
I think Daniel Jones goes to Indy. Easier route to possibly a long term deal again. Vikings have McCarthy waiting in the wings and if they’re unwilling to sign Darnold to a modest 3 year deal ala Mayfield doubt Jones gets a long term look himself even if he plays lights out like Darnold.
Equally as good a situation with Pittman Pierce Downs Taylor
Possibly could hell probably will start given how bad Anthony Richardson has been and if he plays well he could find a long term home in Indy.
Indy’s a sensible fit for Jones, too. Assuming Jones and O’Connell’s brief time together went OK, I think taking roughly the same job Darnold took last year is the most attractive option for a quarterback whose career is in the dumps.
I think their time together may have been too brief. If Darnold goes somewhere else and JJ isn’t ready I would like to see if O’Connell can get some quality play from Jones. Jones has a chance to build up his stock if he stays in MIN for one more year, then he could possibly find a lucrative deal on the open market next offseason. O’Connell should want to hold onto Jones for a year just for injury insurance alone, MIN has had a bad record of keeping QB’s healthy over the last couple seasons.
Equally as good of a situation???? I’m sorry but not even close. Vikings have a top 5 weapon group. Indy bottom 7 according to 33rd team. Throw in the coaching staff and the “situation” is a blowout.
Pretty sure Anthony Richardson has a lot to do with poor showings from his WRs considering the dude completed 48% of his passes last year and Pittman jr already has a couple 1000 yard seasons to his name with better qb play.
Richardson or no, Minnesota has a much better top two receivers and a much better tight end.
Pittman Jr, Pierce, Downs, Taylor is definitely comparable to JJ Addison and Hockenson when you factor in everyone involved.
JJ over Pittman Jr
Taylor over whoever Vikings are running out
Addison and Downs aren’t much different. Addison posted 138 catches for 1700 yards. Downs 140 for 1500 yards. Addison has about 10 more tds but I’d wager downs would have more than 7 if he had better qb play.
I’d pick Pierce over whoever Vikings have at 3
Hockenson over whoever Colts running out
Addison, Jefferson, Hockenson still produced when heathy with Dobbs, Mullens, and Jaren Hall at qb last year. Bad qb play didn’t matter for the Vikings but apparently it does for Indy group.
And majority of colts production came with Gardner Minshew and Joe Flacco at the helm last 2 years. They’d be better if they had more consistent QB play.
Colts definitely have weapons and when you factor everyone involved it’s just as good as situation for a QB. Sorry to burst your homerism bubble there.
Have to agree to disagree 123. We’ll see if you can make the playoffs with that stellar group in an awful division mind you.
They just need consistent QB play. Thats really the missing piece. I’m a Texans fans so I hope they sick for eternity but I can’t deny that if they had better QB play than Minshew and Flacco they’d win the division. They almost won it with Minshew and came down to a dropped pass two years ago. Had they stuck with Flacco all year as the starter they’d probably have won 9 or 10 games.
Minny is in a tough spot. They do not draft well, they don’t have a ton of picks, so they need to fill holes with free agents. Kinda of a mess.
The Vikings have a Sams Club membership card…they can swap Darnold for Bradford 🙂
They have cap space they can bridge for another year with free agents. Not as big of a mess as you think and certainly not as bad as New Orleans/Jets/Giants.
We will agree to respectfully disagree. Missing on high draft picks costs the team money because you lose the lower cost control of picks versus free agents. Minny stinks at drafting.
Great profile name by the way!
If Jones has the option to stay in Minny he needs to take it, no matter what the compensation is. There’s a real chance JJ will not be ready to start and Jones sticking with KOC is the best chance he has at rehabilitating his career. That said, I have no idea what KOC thought of Jones in the time they spent together. Maybe he was horrified.
“There’s a real chance JJ will not be ready to start” EVER.
No ill will on JJ but when I think of him, I think of the high expectations 49ers brass had for Trey Lance. To me, Darnold has turned that career corner. He’s kind of Minnisota’s version of a Purdy. Ink him long term. Also, get away from the unknown of a JJ and the uncertainty of a Jones as a back up. Garopollo is not all that expensive.
Titans is best spot for him. I think Darnold can win 10 games even with that putrid O Line and less than spectacular offense. He builds more momentum for 2026
The Titans have won just 2 of the last 12 games within their division. Darnold winning 10 games over 2 seasons seems a lot more realistic.
I meant Darnold could win 10 games in one year lol
I’m having a hard time believing that none of the qb desperate teams wouldn’t give a mid round pick for Darnold if tagged. Guess we will find out soon.
Not at $40 million/year. Yes, at $15 million/year.
All year as a Vikings fan I wanted the to retain Darnold. Then the playoffs happened..
unfortunately for darnold .. the “sons” are staying in Minnesota if he goes elsewhere
Classy.