How do the Vikings handle Sam Darnold’s free agency after dream season?

Sam Darnold’s dream season ended in a nightmare. Should the Vikings extend him?

A dream season for the Minnesota Vikings ended brutally on Monday night, as Minnesota lost to the Los Angeles Rams 27-9. Despite winning 14 games in the regular season, Sam Darnold and the Vikings will be watching the Divisional Round from the couch along with the rest of us.

And it is Darnold who is at the center of the biggest question facing the team.

While he turned in a tremendous regular season — one that opened the door to him becoming the franchise QB for the team — is what we saw over the final two weeks a reason for the Vikings to move on from him and turn to J.J. McCarthy, their first-round pick in 2024?

That sounds like a perfect question for Football Court.

Why the Vikings should move on from Sam Darnold — Mark Schofield

Inside the four walls of a courtroom, some cases are difficult to make. The law might not be on your side, so you are left to argue the facts. The facts might not be on your side, so you are left to argue the law.

Neither might be on your side, so all you can do is pound the table and make a scene, hoping that will be enough to convince someone.

There is no need to raise my voice today.

All that needs to be done is point to the final two games of the Minnesota Vikings’ 2024-2025 NFL season. In a Week 18 game against the Detroit Lions, with the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the conference on the line, Darnold completed 18-of-41 passes for 166 yards, no touchdowns, a completion percentage south of 50%, an NFL Passer Rating of 55.5, and a QBR of 17.4

Minnesota lost that game 31-9.

In a Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Rams, Darnold completed 25-of-40 passes for 245 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and an NFL Passer Rating of 77.6. Is his QBR in that game? 13.6.

Minnesota lost that game 27-9, bringing a dream season to an end.

There is no denying that Darnold’s 2024 season, on the whole, is a tremendous story. Brought to Minnesota as an option at quarterback following the departure of Kirk Cousins, Darnold was pressed into action when first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury. What followed is a script right out of the halls at Disney, as Darnold led the Vikings to 14 wins and delivered a season that may result in NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors.

But the past two weeks also illustrated the hard ceiling that is in place with Darnold at the helm. The ghosts that plagued him during his time in New York with the Jets were back, and the confident passer we saw earlier in the year was replaced by a QB afraid to take chances, struggling to connect with open receivers, and a QB who ultimately held his offense back.

There is also, when you step back, the bigger context of the NFL right now. That includes an incoming QB draft class with perhaps more questions than answers, and as is often the case more teams needing help at QB than there are options in the draft and free agency.

While all of this was unfolding, McCarthy was given a season to rehab, in essence, a redshirt rookie campaign. He’ll enter the 2025 campaign with a year of learning under his belt.

What Darnold has done this season is nothing short of commendable, but what we saw the last two weeks is evidence enough that the Vikings should thank him for the past year, and go in a different direction for 2025.

Why the Vikings should keep Sam Darnold — James Dator

Emotions are high after losing in the Wild Card round, but the collapse on Monday night was more about failed protection than a horrible game from Sam Darnold. It’s important to remember that as we move forward.

This was a team many projected to be the worst team in the NFC North by a large margin in 2024 — and they defied all expectations. That did that because of Darnold, and casting him aside right now is the equivalent of trading a cow for a handful of magic beans like that idiot Jack did.

Darnold finished the 2024 regular season with 4,319 yards passing, 35 TD and 12 INT — these aren’t numbers you can replicate easily. Just because Darnold was able to walk in and seamlessly replicate Kirk Cousins doesn’t mean that lightning will strike the same again, and this is a case where the bird in the hand is worth the money you’ll spend on him.

At a time where so many teams around the NFL are in dire need of a quarterback but don’t have one, the Vikings are in a rare position to have a solid, proven 27-year-old player who can run their offense and make enough plays to win. He developed a great rapport with Justin Jefferson and the Vikings receivers this season, and that means he can continue to build off that to have sustained success.

It’s understandable to think about change when you have J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings, but that works off the supposition that McCarthy is going to be something Darnold isn’t. Who honestly believes he can step up and be a 4,000+ yard passer? Essentially you’re banking on some leadership intangibles that might not manifest in the NFL, and you already have a guy who can work in the system.

The Vikings should re-sign Darnold, try to trade McCarthy to a QB-needy team, and fill the myriad holes they have — especially on defense. The only person these back-to-back losses hurt was Sam Darnold and his bank account, which means his price will be lower than the projected $50+ million he was touted to get ahead of Week 18.

The Buccaneers were smart enough to realize that Baker Mayfield was the right fit for them instead of moving on after a year. The Vikings should realize the same. The grass isn’t always greener, and the complexities of winning playoff games are greater than just the QB. Minnesota has found a good one, and they should stick with the hot hand — even if their 2024 campaign ended in disappointment.

The Verdict — JP Acosta

I’d like to thank both Cousel Dator and Counsel Schofield for their arguments. As you all can more than likely tell, this case will have a ripple effect on both the Minnesota Vikings, and the upcoming free agency period. While Darnold had a fantastic year as a passer, I want to display another set of evidence that the court has sent in, via Locked on Vikings’ Luke Braun:

If the Vikings were to bring Darnold back on, say, the franchise tag, that’s $41 million according to OverTheCap. Are the Vikings comfortable giving Darnold $41 million to sit on the bench behind QB JJ McCarthy when they have so many key players hitting free agency? That feels like a miscalculation given what this year was supposed to be. You got QB Kirk Cousins off the books, and cleared out cap space for this free agency and next free agency period to really set up the next iteration of your team. Paying Darnold that much money seems like the wrong way to build out this roster, one with the QB of the future already on the roster. For that, my verdict is for Counsel Schofield, against the re-signing of Sam Darnold. hink it’s wise for the Vikings to do this now, especially when there are so many other holes left on the roster. They also might not get the chance to pay Darnold, someone else is going to.