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INDIANAPOLIS — Sam Darnold’s future was unsurprisingly the hot topic for Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as they fielded questions from the media at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday afternoon.
The looming decision between paying Darnold likely more than $40 million annually under a new deal or leaning on second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy is currently a primary focus for the NFL franchise’s owner, the Wilf family, too. “They are involved, but they are very good at letting people do their job,” Adofo-Mensah said. “They ask a lot of good questions.”
Darnold led Minnesota to a 14–3 record last season while playing on a one-year, $10 million contract. McCarthy was selected with the 10th pick in last year’s NFL Draft, but he tore his meniscus in the preseason and missed the entire 2024 season.
Adofo-Mensah said the Wilfs are “great resources” for his staff, which is weighing the pros and cons of trying to capitalize on McCarthy’s team-friendly rookie contract or investing more in Darnold. “It’s our job to present to them our logic, always, every decision we make, with the why,” he said. “They’re very big process people. They’re running a business, so it’s my job to show them our logic, and we do that.”
While Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell both agreed that Darnold has a bright future in the NFL, they stopped short of saying it would be in Minnesota.
“We’re evaluating the short-term and long-term aspects of it,” O’Connell said. “It’s still early in the offseason process. But ultimately, [we’re] excited about what lies ahead in 2025.”
O’Connell previously indicated the Vikings wouldn’t place the franchise tag on Darnold, which would have slotted the quarterback in for a one-year deal worth roughly $41 million, saying he had “earned the right to be a free agent.”
McCarthy will have a salary-cap hit of just under $5 million next season, just below $6 million in 2026, and less than $7 million in 2027. He would be eligible for an extension following the 2026 season, when the Vikings could also pick up a fifth-year team option.
