One of the biggest mysteries of the upcoming NFL offseason is the curious case of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold.
Darnold spent most of the season playing like one of the NFL's best quarterbacks, steering the Vikings to a 14–3 record and just one win shy of claiming the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed. But he unraveled the last two weeks, as Minnesota lost its regular-season finale to the Detroit Lions and was bounced from the playoffs with an ugly 27–9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Despite Darnold's rough finish to the season, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero still believes the soon-to-be free agent will end up back in Minnesota next year.
"The smart money would be on Sam Darnold being back in Minnesota," Pelissero said Thursday to Paul "Meatsauce" Lambert on KFAN's . "And if anything, what happened in those last two games might make it simpler to get him back."
The Vikings selected J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft to eventually develop him into their franchise quarterback. McCarthy missed the entire '24 campaign due to a pair of knee surgeries, but as of Thursday, he has returned to on-field training and is preparing to be ready to play in 2025.
Minnesota's biggest question at quarterback is whether or not McCarthy is ready to become the starter next fall. If the Vikings don't think he is, perhaps bringing Darnold back still makes some sense. The franchise tag—estimated to be worth about $41 million next season—remains an option if Minnesota wants to keep Darnold for the short-term.
"The most logical outcome for all parties has always been Sam Darnold is coming back," Pelissero said. "The question is can he get a deal done? And if you can't, do you use the tag? Or do you say, ‘Go ahead and see what your market is, we're probably going to get this deal done because this is the best place for you.’”
Can Minnesota and its fan base forget Darnold's back-to-back clunkers for a 2025 reunion? Or is it McCarthy time?
