During Super Bowl week, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said quarterback Sam Darnold has earned the right to become a free agent. Whether he’ll get a crack at free agency remains to be seen.
The Vikings have until Tuesday to use the franchise tag on Darnold. If tagged, he’d make $40.242 million fully guaranteed in 2025. A second tag would cost $48.29 million. That’s $88.532 million over two years under the tag.
And that would be the number to watch if the Vikings try to sign Darnold to a contract that would, as a practical matter, cover two years.
At this point, there’s no reason for Darnold to do a deal until he knows whether he’ll be tagged. The window for doing a multi-year deal under the tag closes on July 15. If the tag is going to be applied absent a deal by Tuesday, take the tag and do the deal later.
The other consideration for the Vikings is 2024 first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy. While the Vikings might hope to proceed for the next two years with Darnold before pivoting to McCarthy, McCarthy might not be willing to sit for three years. That said, if he asks to be traded, the Vikings could end up with a high first-round pick — especially since some think McCarthy would be the best quarterback in the current class.
For now, the question is whether the Vikings will tag Darnold by 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday. If not, he’ll have a straight shot at free agency. If so, the Vikings will be able to keep him for one year, sign him to a multi-year deal, or trade him.
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