Darnold Dilemma Deepens: Vikings Face Questions After Wild-Card Loss

A Cinderella season for the Vikings flipped on its head once the calendar turned to 2025. 

First, Minnesota relinquished the NFC’s top seed after a loss to the Lions in last week’s regular-season finale. Then in the wild-card round Monday, the Vikings were blown out by the Rams in Arizona. 

Minnesota scored just nine points in each of the last two weeks, putting the spotlight on the performance of quarterback Sam Darnold—who signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Vikings in March—and his future as the team’s signal-caller. Over the two-game stretch, Darnold was 43-for-81, threw just one touchdown, and was sacked 11 times. 

Darnold was not expected to be a long-term solution after the Vikings drafted Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 pick a month later. But after McCarthy tore his meniscus in August, Darnold had a career year, finishing top five in the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns. 

Head coach Kevin O’Connell said after Monday’s game that it’s important the team consider “Sam’s body of work” when deciding on his future.

Darnold Dilemma

With McCarthy waiting in the wings, the Vikings have several options with Darnold this offseason.

• A long-term deal: The team could believe the 27-year-old has room to grow. Spotrac projects Darnold as a “mid-range” starting quarterback following this year—which could mean a deal in the four-year, $160 million range. The Vikings could then trade McCarthy, who could potentially command a first-round return in the open market given this year’s weak quarterback draft class.
• Franchise tag: Minnesota could test the waters by franchise tagging Darnold, which would mean a one-year, guaranteed deal of about $41.4 million, according to Over The Cap. That would be more than twice as much as Darnold has made in any season. The Vikings could then try to trade Darnold, but if they choose to keep him, the team would remain in a state of limbo at the league’s most important position. 
• Let him walk: Minnesota could let Darnold go and hand the keys to McCarthy. The question is whether the Vikings believe McCarthy is ready to take over coming off a serious knee injury—especially because the team has the ancillary pieces to compete now.

Justin Jefferson, the team’s biggest star, who last year signed the largest contract of any wide receiver (four years, $140 million), kept a neutral opinion on the team’s future quarterback.

“It’s not my job to say who is going to be the quarterback or who do I want to be the quarterback,” Jefferson said Monday.