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  • February 11, 2025
Vikings ‘must consider franchise tagging’ Sam Darnold

Vikings ‘must consider franchise tagging’ Sam Darnold

Sam Darnold has changed the narrative of his career with the Minnesota Vikings. The former No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft went from a backup quarterback to a starter in a Super Bowl contender. From a concept bust to a MVP candidate.

In his first season in Minnesota, Darnold has led the Vikings to an 11-2 start while ranking sixth in the league in passing yards (3,299), and seventh in the league in completion percentage (68.4%). among quarterbacks who have attempted at least 100. passes and he ranks third in the NFL in touchdown passes (28). He also has a passer rating of 108.1 for the season.

Those aren’t the numbers of the starting quarterback in the middle of the line, they’re the numbers of a surefire top-10 quarterback in football. Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranks Darnold as the sixth-best signal caller in the league with an offensive grade of 86.4, putting him behind only Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens (91.7), Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals (91.3) , Los Justin Herbert of the Angeles Chargers (89.8), Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills (89.3) and Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders (87.9). What’s wild is that there is no clear answer as to whether Darnold will return next season.

The Vikings drafted JJ McCarthy as their quarterback of the future with the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft. The expectation was that Darnold would be a stopgap quarterback, perhaps playing this season, or perhaps just hanging on until McCarthy was ready to take over later in the year. But McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason and Darnold has inserted himself into the MVP conversation. What does that mean for the Vikings in the long run?

No one knows, but FS1’s Colin Cowherd thinks the Vikings would be foolish to let Darnold walk.

“I understand why they drafted JJ McCarthy, but he needed a second surgery on his meniscus, on the swelling in his knee, a second one,” Cowherd said Monday on FS1. “…Sam Darnold now, five touchdowns, no picks, he’s entered the MVP conversation. Here’s the thing: What are you going to do with him? He’s a free agent. Are you going to let him walk?”

That’s where it gets interesting. Many parallels have been drawn between Darnold’s resurgence this season and the way Baker Mayfield revived his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season. Mayfield signed himself into a three-year contract worth up to $115 million, and the expectation would be that Darnold would demand a similar type of deal.

But that would also force McCarthy to the sidelines for a few more years, and the Vikings may want to take advantage of that rookie contract as soon as possible. But between the way Darnold is playing, and if Minnesota doesn’t believe McCarthy will be ready for next season due to a knee or otherwise, they could also explore the franchise tagging Darnold for next season, but that’s expected to be as much as $ 41 million costs. a significant jump from the $10 million deal Darnold is currently pursuing.

“I think you should consider franchise tagging him,” Cowherd said when asked what the Vikings should do with Darnold. “…That’s more than they want to pay, but isn’t Sam Darnold going to be close to that in the market anyway? I think they were hoping that after Sam Darnold started the year, JJ McCarthy might be able to take over on Thanksgiving or next year, but what are you going to do with this? Are you going to let a potential top five MVP guy walk out of the building, I wouldn’t do that?

The franchise tag certainly makes sense. The Vikings will have significant cap space next season, and while they have some notable other impending free agents (Cam Bynum, Aaron Jones, Byron Murphy, Shaq Griffin and Dalton Risner, among others), they can likely afford the price tag of $41 million. while the selection remains largely intact. It would also provide an easy route to moving on from McCarthy if they decide he is the future of the franchise after next season. On the other hand, if Darnold puts together another brilliant season and is seen as the long-term answer, the price will only go up.

All in all, it’s a good problem to have. Darnold has played so well that the Vikings will have to consider keeping him next season, or maybe beyond. Nevertheless, it’s still a mystery that Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will have to figure out: will they stick with Darnold – franchise tag or long term – or will it be McCarthy’s time to take the reins?

“Be very careful about letting great employees walk away, especially after a great year,” Cowherd said. “…I think you have to think about it – this was always a good team and a good franchise. But there’s no doubt that Darnold added juice and energy, playmaking ability and athleticism, and the crowd started chanting MVP, and I think you have to put him in that top-five category… Close game, three big scoring drives. He had three touchdowns in the second half; that’s Sam Darnold, the playmaker, running deep down the field that element didn’t exist with Kirk Cousins, and they made the playoffs with Kirk Cousins.”

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