‘Sam Darnold picked the right time to have a career year.’
In case you missed it, I’m quoting what I wrote before the Minnesota Vikings got run, 27-9, by the Los Angeles Rams in Monday night’s wild-card game. Yes, Sam Darnold also picked a terrible time to have his two worst outings of the 2024 season.
But two things can most definitely be true.
With the Vikes vanquished and Darnold’s one-year contract set to expire, both parties are wading into very uncertain waters in 2025. Minnesota only has one quarterback under contract for next season – J.J. McCarthy, the organization’s 2024 first-round pick, who missed his entire rookie year after suffering a preseason knee injury. Darnold, after appearing he’d finally turned the professional corner in the midst of his first Pro Bowl effort – his 4,319 yards, 35 TDs and 102.5 passer rating were all career highs for the seven-year veteran – was a huge part of the problem as the Vikings lost their final two games, which included an opportunity to win the NFC North and home-field advantage at Detroit in Week 18 and the subsequent opportunity to take the scenic route to the divisional round of the playoffs.
“(W)ith the way the Vikings have played and Sam Darnold has played over the last couple of weeks, he’s at least cost himself some money,” ESPN broadcaster Joe Buck said at the end of Minnesota’s Monday night loss, giving voice to the unmissable level of NFL groupthink.
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Regarding Darnold’s future, Buck’s broadcast partner, Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, chimed in: “That conversation’s a different conversation today than it was two weeks ago.”
Which isn’t to say Darnold’s market is likely to instantly evaporate. He still had a magnificent campaign, leading the Vikings to a 14-3 regular-season record – the most victories ever by an NFL quarterback in his first year with a team – despite playing his fourth club since 2020.
“I think it’s very important we all think about Sam’s body of work – what he was able to do this year when not very many people thought he would even be able to lead a team to 14 wins,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said following the loss to the Rams.
“Just the way he came in and committed himself to just a daily process to be the best version of himself.”
It’s a pretty good version given Darnold’s youth and how the supply-side dynamic of the league’s quarterback market decidedly seems to be working to his advantage. Maybe he cost himself a long-term contract that averages better than $40 million annually, but something in the market of what 2018 draftmate Baker Mayfield raked in last year – three years and $100 million (half of it guaranteed) from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – could still be a win-win compromise for Darnold and a potential suitor.
Regardless, Darnold will clearly be the preeminent passing option on the free-agent market – assuming he even makes it there – and will likely be available at a time when so many teams are looking for QB1s but so few are available, the upcoming draft also perceived as being light on high-end prospects.
“Remember, this guy’s 27 years old or whatever he is,” said O’Connell, “and I think he has a foundation now of both the things you do at the quarterback position to have success and the things that sometimes you have to learn the hard way. You talk to some of the greatest players that ever played the game at that position, and they all had learning moments throughout their journey. I think Sam will take a lot of positive out of this year.”
With that as a preamble, here are eight logical landing spots (some with caveats) in 2025 as Darnold moves into whatever the next phase of his professional journey holds:
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Cleveland Browns
If Deshaun Watson’s performance and persona have not been disqualifying elements during his tenure here, then his multiple Achilles tears in recent months (including the circumstances surrounding the second) certainly are. The Browns do hold the second overall pick of the 2025 draft. Yet this is a veteran-laden roster with the capability to win significantly – remember, Cleveland went 11-6 a year ago mostly thanks to temp QB Joe Flacco. Unless GM Andrew Berry and HC Kevin Stefanski are truly enamored of Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward of the University of Miami (Fla.), then Darnold could be a far more cost-effective option than Watson to propel this team back to relevance while allowing it to go the best-player-available route atop the draft.
Las Vegas Raiders
They wanted Jayden Daniels last year but couldn’t even sniff him, much less secure any of the six quarterbacks taken during Round 1 in 2024. Sin City would allow Darnold, who’s from the West Coast, to play closer to home while perhaps being part of a rebuild for a team that’s fallen well behind its competition in the AFC West. The Silver and Black would also provide an opportunity to work with legendary Tom Brady as the organization’s new minority owner becomes more involved with the club’s operations. And despite the roster’s issues, the presence of All-Pro TE Brock Bowers, a budding star, and a decent offensive line should offer appeal.
Los Angeles Rams
They would represent a true opportunity to play at home for Darnold, a Southern California kid who played collegiately at USC. And after flourishing under O’Connell, Darnold would be a natural fit with coach Sean McVay philosophically while reaping the benefits of another offense loaded with weaponry. The obvious stipulation here is the presence of Matthew Stafford, who turns 37 next month and is signed through the 2026 season. But he’s entered the phase of his career when he seems to assess his future – and contract – on an annual basis.
New York Giants
Obviously in need of a quarterbacking upgrade, they’ll be choosing third in the draft – which isn’t to say that’s where they’ll find an answer. This is an appropriate time to cite the good work coach Brian Daboll did with Josh Allen in Buffalo and Daniel Jones, whom he inherited here, before Jones reverted to bad habits and was released in 2024. Darnold was drafted third overall by the Jets in 2018 and, even though he didn’t flourish with them – an outcome that can largely be pinned on the lack of support Gang Green provided – navigating New York’s intense media market generally wasn’t an issue, though his return could be something of a tough sell to Big Blue’s fan base. Regardless, Darnold might be the least bad option depending how matters unfold – and pairing him with WR Malik Nabers would be intriguing given how well Darnold instantly vibed with Justin Jefferson in Minnesota.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Like Darnold, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are out of contract. The Steelers are set to pick 21st in the first round of the draft, not a range where franchise QBs typically linger (Kenny Pickett was the 20th pick in 2022). The Steelers could go in any number of directions, including the retention of Wilson and/or Fields or perhaps inquiring about aging veterans like Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins, who currently remain under contract with the Jets and Atlanta Falcons, respectively. But Darnold is definitely a viable option – perhaps the best this team has explored since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement four years ago. His arm talent and athleticism would seemingly make him a good fit for OC Arthur Smith’s system, similar to how Ryan Tannehill was in Tennessee. And given the alternatives …
San Francisco 49ers
A talented team that’s typically been championship-caliber in recent years is coming off a highly underwhelming campaign, one at least partially derailed by injuries. But the Niners also have much to sort out from a business perspective this offseason. QB Brock Purdy has been the league’s best bargain for three years running, but he also regressed in 2024 – easily his worst season as a pro. Darnold was the backup here in 2023, when San Francisco reached the Super Bowl, so he’s a known commodity within the building. At a time when GM John Lynch and HC Kyle Shanahan must decide if they’re going to break the bank for Purdy, who’s newly eligible for the massive extension he has earned, they could also consider paying Darnold what would probably be a good deal less – which would mean fewer ramifications elsewhere on a talent-teeming roster and the opportunity to trade Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 draft, for a healthy return. Is it likely? Maybe not. Is it an option? Most definitely so.
Tennessee Titans
Sitting atop the 2025 draft, they’ll have first dibs on Ward or Sanders. Said another way, the Titans will also have first dibs on Heisman Trophy-winning two-way threat Travis Hunter – and he might be far too talented to bypass when the opportunity cost is a passing prospect who doesn’t feel like a slam dunk. Still, coach Brian Callahan obviously seemed to be over the Will Levis Experience by the end of the 2024 season, and Mason Rudolph will be a free agent. Darnold could be a nice fit, at least in the short term, for a team that has some talent but clearly needs to find its footing.
Minnesota Vikings
At the beginning of the week, I thought their best course of action would be to give Darnold the franchise tag by March 4 and then assess their options – whether it be re-signing him, inciting a bidding war for him before settling on a trade partner, perhaps simply keeping him for 2025 given the uncertainty around McCarthy, or even trading the young passer instead. Any of those outcomes could remain on the table, it’s just worth wondering now if GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has the stomach for a tag that will be north of $40 million and would eat up more than half of Minnesota’s available cap space – and with the backdrop that the club traded up to obtain McCarthy last April.
That said, Darnold, despite all the career upheaval he’s experienced, reaffirmed what he can be with capable coaching and teammates and might only improve if provided the stability he’s never known in the NFL. So often this season, he leveraged the ability so many saw coming out of USC – ripping exquisite throws on designed plays and extending busted ones into positive results, all while minimizing the mistakes that have dogged him in the past … and the last two games. But given he wouldn’t require a cap-crippling contract, he’d be a compelling fallback (and/or safeguard) given McCarthy has yet to take a regular-season snap and entered the league coming off a championship run at Michigan – albeit one when he never had to prove he could carry those uber-talented Wolverines, much less an NFL squad.
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Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.