Vikings Should Prepare to Move on from Sam Darnold amid Latest NFL Free Agency Rumors

Sam Darnold didn't finish the 2024-25 NFL season the way he or the Minnesota Vikings would have liked.

It doesn't sound like he did much damage—if any—to his free agent market, though.

"I talked to an executive in the AFC and an executive in the NFC yesterday, and they told me the same thing, there are too many quarterback-needy teams out there, to have his market dramatically change even after these two games," NFL insider James Palmer said on Bleacher Report. "They both told me probably the perception of his turnaround has been altered more than his market, and it's because there's more teams and there's fewer quarterbacks."

The executives went on to say Darnold is still looking at commanding "$30 million or more per year" on the open market. That's a number that should worry the Vikings, particularly if they're unenthused with the idea of franchise-tagging him and paying him more than $40 million next season.

Granted, a $30 million-plus salary isn't exorbitantly expensive for a top-shelf quarterback. Brock Purdy might command double that amount, and he was far from spectacular this season.

It still is a lot of money, though, especially for those who were skeptical of Darnold's success this season and surely felt validated for those beliefs when he may have turned back into a pumpkin on the biggest stage.

The Vikings were a Week 18 win over the Detroit Lions away from snagging the NFC's top seed and securing a bye into the divisional round. But Minnesota's offense short-circuited in that 31-9 blowout loss with Darnold going a miserable 18-of-41 for 166 yards.

The Vikings then locked horns with the Los Angeles Rams during the wild card round and the results were almost identical. Minnesota's offense had no life in its 27-9 loss, and Darnold couldn't get much going as he went 25-of-40 for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

So, in the two biggest games of Minnesota's season, Darnold completed 53.1 percent of his passes and matched his only touchdown pass with an interception. He also ate 11 sacks and lost a fumble.

It was brutal.

It was also reminiscent of his early-career struggles, when he flopped as a draft bust of the New York Jets and then failed to impress as a reclamation project with the Carolina Panthers. Is it unfair to hold that past against him? Perhaps, but it also seems foolish to throw out everything known about him based on a single season.

Prior to this season, there wasn't much of a gap between his career touchdown passes (63) and interceptions (56). He'd also failed to complete even 60 percent of his passes in four of six campaigns and maxed out with a 61.9 completion percentage. His previous personal-bests also included just 3,024 passing yards and 19 passing touchdowns.

Maybe Minnesota found a way to coach him into being a different player, but his big-stage flops felt familiar. If nothing else, they should have the Vikings cautious about not overinvesting in his free agency. He'd be fine to bring back on a reasonable, ideally short-term contract, but they better have a walk-away point if some other quarterback-needy clubs come calling.

Remember, the plan isn't for Darnold to be the long-term option in Minnesota. The Vikings wagered last year's 10th overall pick on J.J. McCarthy's ability to fill that role. His rookie season was erased by a torn meniscus, but that hardly seems like a viable reason to rethink the strategy.

Another year with Darnold could make some sense for the Vikings, but only if the money is right and McCarthy retains a path to fulfilling his potential as a franchise quarterback. If Darnold's market holds up, though, his late-season struggles should have Minnesota thinking long and hard about a clean split and a pivot into the McCarthy era.