According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Vikings have not yet made a firm determination about what to do with QB Sam Darnold, though the chances of him being back in 2025 are higher than they were six months ago.
Fowler reiterates some previous reporting about teams estimating Darnold’s market to be in the range of three years, $100 million. However, he notes some agents have also asserted Darnold shouldn’t accept anything less than the four-year, $160 million deal the Giants gave QB Daniel Jones.
The Vikings will have a cap on how much they’re willing to spend on Darnold, per Fowler. He adds the transition tag could be an option.
The transition tag would be $35.3 million but would allow other teams to negotiate with Darnold and not entitle the Vikings to any compensation should Darnold sign an offer sheet. In comparison, the franchise tag would cost $41.3 million and give the Vikings two first-round picks if another team signed Darnold to an offer sheet.
Darnold, 27, is a former first-round pick of the Jets back in 2018. He was in the final year of a four-year, $30.370 million rookie contract when he was traded to the Panthers.
Carolina exercised Darnold’s fifth-year option for 2022 after acquiring him from New York. He made a base salary of $18.858 million in 2022 under the option.
Darnold was an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career when he signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the 49ers in 2023. He joined the Vikings this past offseason on another one-year deal.
In 2024, Darnold appeared in all 17 games for the Vikings and completed 66.2 percent of his pass attempts for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He added 67 carries for 212 yards and a touchdown.
We’ll have more on Darnold and the Vikings as the news is available.
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