Ultimately, Sam Darnold’s free-agency tour wasn’t what he expected. After a year of having a projected market value of $50 million, most teams were only willing to pay half that number when Darnold was the belle of the quarterback ball.
Darnold had his choice of suitors. None of those destinations included the amenities that the Minnesota Vikings could provide. He had an elite receiver in Justin Jefferson, a quarterback guru in Kevin O’Connell, a defense that kept most teams under 30 points, and a team that went 14-3 under his guidance.
So Darnold made his way to TCO Performance Center with a smile on his face and a pen in hand and entered the quarterback room. He whipped open the door…and there was O’Connell, grinding tape with J.J. McCarthy.
“Sam! It’s not what you think!” O’Connell screamed as Darnold ran away in tears.
Okay, maybe this is a little dramatic. But that’s the picture we’re seeing right now.
Darnold has earned the right to be a free agent, but teams aren’t totally sold on him now. A report from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini even said teams are reluctant to give Darnold a contract worth $25 million per season annually, which could eventually lead him back to Minnesota.
Such an outcome feels like a win-win situation.
It begins with Darnold. If he’s not getting the money he wants, there are few reasons to sign with a quarterback-needy team.
Seattle is a prime candidate, especially given that they appear to have dealt starter Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders. The New York Giants also need a quarterback, but they’d put Darnold in the crucible to save Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll’s jobs. The New York Jets also need a quarterback, but there’s a good chance Darnold has a very long list of things he’d rather do than return to that franchise.
The Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Indianapolis Colts are also looking for a quarterback. But that may be a year-to-year situation as they keep an eye on the 2026 draft.
None of these situations feel like the infrastructure Darnold wants. So why not return to Minnesota and run it back with the man who helped put him in this position?
The Vikings could be interested. They selected McCarthy with the 10th-overall pick in last year’s draft, but he got limited on-field reps after tearing his meniscus in the first preseason game. The last seven months have been filled with speculation on McCarthy’s status, and a second procedure in November probably doesn’t calm anyone’s fears right now.
With that, the plan is in place. Bring back Darnold at an affordable number, find a way to build a roster around him, and trump “The Jordan Love Plan” with “The J.J. McCarthy Plan.”
Once again, everybody wins, right? Not so fast.
Darnold may return to a situation that feels like home, but it would be much different with a young quarterback ready to start behind him. It was the situation Darnold was supposed to be in after signing a one-year, $10 million contract last season. Still, he gained the freedom of being the starter when McCarthy went down for the season.
It was a situation where Darnold’s job was never in jeopardy, even as he tossed three picks in a November win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. But what if McCarthy was healthy? It could have been a much different situation.
The Vikings fans who hated the signing this time one year ago but warmed up over the season would be screaming for McCarthy the moment Darnold has a bad game. It could also lead to more questions about when O’Connell will pull the trigger because McCarthy is the long-term answer at the position.
Consider McCarthy’s development. He was supposed to get more reps as last season progressed, but he got hurt. Splitting reps sounds promising, given how things worked out for Love in Green Bay. However, Darnold is not scornful MVP Aaron Rodgers, and splitting reps may feel forced if he’s not playing well.
McCarthy has run through all the virtual simulations. He’s probably watched tape until his eyes bleed. He installed the mental hardware through his rookie season; the last part is getting on the field and applying it. The more times McCarthy can do that, the better off he’ll be. However, bringing back Darnold would delay that process.
Of course, it goes back to the “safety net” conversation we had with Kirk Cousins. Coaches love security at the quarterback position, and having Darnold would be like a cozy blanket during a March blizzard. But that layer of protection gets thinner when you can’t build the roster around him.
It’s a conversation Vikings have had for years. Do you pay the quarterback? Or do you load up the roster around him? The latter approach led Darnold, who most football fans left for dead two years ago, to win 14 games last year. While that’s a high-end outcome, imagining what it could do for McCarthy is fun.
Minnesota could do some financial gymnastics to give Darnold a low cap hit and run it back. However, there are too many mental and monetary hurdles for that to be a benefit. Darnold should take the bigger bag somewhere else, like it is for the Vikings to use the savings to beef up the roster.