REPORT: QB AGREES TO THREE-YEAR, $120 MILLION DEAL WITH $75 MILLION GUARANTEED

Free Agency Will Come Down to Price for Vikings and Their Quarterback

Free agency negotiations always revolve around price—whether a team and a player can find common ground on a deal they both view as fair.

That will be the case for the Vikings and their Pro Bowl quarterback, Sam Darnold, who is one of the top names set to hit free agency. Minnesota may have interest in keeping him, but at what cost? General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah must weigh that decision carefully, especially with last year’s No. 10 pick, J.J. McCarthy, waiting for an opportunity.

 

 

 

 

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Darnold could command a three-year, $120 million contract with $75 million guaranteed. That projection builds off Baker Mayfield’s three-year, $100 million deal with Tampa Bay last year but accounts for market inflation. With a strong statistical season and a high demand for quarterbacks this offseason, his market could be even more competitive.

 

 

 

 

Would the Vikings commit to such a deal? A contract like that would likely ensure Darnold remains the starter for at least two seasons, meaning McCarthy could sit for three years before seeing the field. That is, unless the young quarterback earns the job earlier—potentially leaving the team with a $75 million backup.

 

 

 

Minnesota could structure a short-term deal in a way that preserves cap space for 2024, but that carries the risk of a significant dead money hit down the line. Alternatively, the Vikings could use the franchise tag at $41 million for one season, though that would limit their ability to address other roster needs.

 

 

 

Some around the league still believe the most logical outcome is Darnold returning to Minnesota, given his performance this past season and McCarthy’s ongoing recovery from a knee injury. However, others remain skeptical. The assumption has been that Darnold’s market value will surpass what the Vikings are willing to pay, making a move elsewhere more likely.

 

 

 

“I anticipate he’ll have a free agent market that prices him out of what Minnesota wants to do,” Graziano said on ESPN Radio. “So where does that leave him? Is it the Raiders, the Saints, the Giants? There are a lot of teams in need of a quarterback, and at 27, coming off the season he had, he’ll have options.

 

 

A return to Minnesota seems plausible only if Darnold takes a below-market deal to remain with head coach Kevin O’Connell and wide receiver Justin Jefferson. While possible, players in his position typically maximize their earnings when they hit free agency.

 

 

 

When asked about his future, Darnold kept things vague.

“I’ve thought about it a little,” he said during a SiriusXM NFL Radio interview at the Pro Bowl. “I’m not going to share anything about what I’m thinking or the conversations I’ve had behind closed doors. There’s still a lot that has to happen, even after the Super Bowl. I’ll keep talking with my agent and go from there.”