Matthew Stafford decided to compromise and stay with the Los Angeles Rams. Currently, league sources predict similar outcomes to the Minnesota Vikings and Sam Darnold.
Multiple sources who spoke with Yahoo Sports following the conclusion of the NFL Scouting Combine – including a handful of team executives and agents interested in the quarterback market – believe Darnold lacks the robust free agent market expected for much of the 2024 breakout season. Instead, there is growing consensus that Darnold’s best option is to enter into a one- or two-year contract with the Vikings for $25-$30 million per season, giving both parties the opportunity to either have the next offseason or re-enter free agency in 2026.
“You’d think there’s a supply and demand this offseason on the quarterback side. “I think Darnold’s market is much softer than people are realizing. His best setup is going to be in Minnesota another year.”
The two general managers shared similar opinions, pointing to a volatile end to Darnold’s season, noting that it had a calm effect that could be rectified in another strong year in Minnesota.
With that in mind, this is how the sauce shaped the potential destination of Darnold…
Are you with the Viking?
There were some uncertainties in Vikings 2024 Round QB JJ McCarthy in the offseason surgery rehabilitation process, including the weight loss that occurred as a result of that repair to repair his meniscus. However, sources say McCarthy has already improved his weight, is available for offseason pass programs and should be ready to go to mini-camp in June. Nevertheless, the Vikings have kept the door open for potential Darnold returns on economic short-term contracts that will give the franchise another year runway to evaluate both Darnold and McCarthy. That option is only possible when Darnold’s free agency options are weak.
One source believes Darnold could return to Minnesota with a fully guaranteed one-year, $25 million deal. Another believed it could be a two-year, $60 million deal with money that was guaranteed in the second year, but it wasn’t enough to remove either the next offseason deal or Darnold if the team wanted to move in a different direction.
There is still plenty of speculation infused into Darnold back to Minnesota, but it is clear that it is a legally viable option.
…Unknown teams like the Seahawks
Sources from the two leagues believe that the Las Vegas Raiders could potentially pursue trade with Seahawks QB Genosmith after they attacked Stafford. It could reunite Raiders head coach Pete Carroll and Smith, opening a quarterback slot in Seattle and play Darnold for the Seahawks.
This is an interesting scenario that emerged from two developments. First, Raiders went missing in Stafford and has since reportedly had soft interest in Darnold. Second, the NFL team is currently run with the knowledge that Darnold is not tagged and will become an uninterrupted free agent. The latter point is important. Because some teams may not have had a legitimate interest in Darnold until they knew he would actually attack the free agency. As he has become a real option for the table, it is possible to lead teams like Seattle and another unknown club to reevaluate their own quarterback room and make players available for calls.
Thumbs to the Raiders?
As mentioned in the previous section, it has been reported that the Raiders’ interest in Darnold is not as strong as speculated, with two league sources viewing Genosmith’s potential deal as riding on the radar.
Make the Steelers a little clearer
Currently, the Steelers look likely to give Justin Fields a short-term quarterback deal, but the field can go elsewhere if they see a clear path to their first job. However, there is no consensus that Darnold is at the top of the Steelers’ quarterback priorities list.
The giants sound like they’re playing
If he is willing to live his New York football experience again, this is an interesting team that could become a landing spot in Darnold.
That said, there’s a lot of noise around the Giants for now. They’ve heard they want to actively move to Come Ward’s No. 1 overall pick, but after the Giants failed to land Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson emerged as a fallback option, and Darnold is still interested in it. Considering Aaron Rodgers’ due diligence, it’s starting to feel like every available quarterback is giving the Giants a name.
The despair of landing a quarterback who can quickly win the game and energize the franchise is real. If the Giants can’t find a way to draft the ward, this could be where Darnold will get the franchise QB deal expected over the last season.
Titan
While this should be an option for Darnold, no one believes the Titans are willing to pay the money that has been blown away by one of the veteran quarterback options. Instead, they begin to look at options at the low end of the QB contract spectrum. This ranges from $250,000 to $30 million. If that’s what the Vikings are willing to land on a short-term Darnold deal, then there will have to be other reasons why Darnold leaves Minnesota due to much worse circumstances in Tennessee.
Browns
Cleveland is holding back a stagnant salary at Max. Even if the Browns wanted Darnold rather than taking a rookie quarterback in the draft, we don’t know how that would work.
Jets
I think after the final go-round, Darnold is more likely to pitch the New York Mets than become the Jets quarterback.
