The Minnesota Vikings may want Sam Darnold to return to the franchise next season. In fact, they may not even have a choice.
Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus examined Darnold’s case on Tuesday, December 10, coming to the conclusion that if Minnesota makes a run to the NFC Championship Game and/or the Super Bowl, the team probably won’t be able to justify letting Darnold walk — either internally amongst the top decision makers or externally with the fans.
In pretty much any scenario, however, the Vikings are likely to face intense competition for Darnold who could command around $35 million annually on the open market, according to Spotrac. Sikkema highlighted the three teams most likely to make runs at the 2024 MVP candidate, placing the Pittsburgh Steelers atop that list.
“To me the Vikings are still a destination spot for him,” Sikkema said. “I think it’s the Steelers, [Tennessee] Titans and the [New York] Giants [that] are the most likely spots outside of Minnesota.”
Steelers May Need to Move on From Russell Wilson Next Spring
GettyPittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson.
The Vikings have J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings as the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, which affords Minnesota some breathing room as far as options under center in 2025.
The Steelers, however, don’t necessarily have the same luxury. Both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields came to Pittsburgh exceedingly cheap. Fields is likely to leave for a chance to start elsewhere come March 2025, while Wilson has earned himself an $80 million paycheck over the next two years, per Spotrac market projections.
The website actually projects Darnold to make less than that $40 million figure annually, though his deal will likely be twice as long as Wilson’s. Given their age disparity — Wilson is 36 years old and Darnold is just 27 — Darnold would make considerably more sense for Pittsburgh.
The team’s other options will be to bring back Wilson, probably at a significant overpay, or try to draft a quarterback. However, the Steelers (10-3) would almost certainly take a step, if not two, backward by leaning on a rookie in 2025, which makes even less sense considering the team is poised to win the AFC North Division and has a chance to make a deep playoff run.
Not to mention, the Steelers have an even smaller chance of hitting on a first-round QB, as they would pick No. 27 overall were the league to hold next year’s draft today.
Vikings May Believe J.J. McCarthy Can Pick up Where Sam Darnold Leaves Off
GettyQuarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
All of those factors, plus the fact that Pittsburgh can sell Darnold — who will also be a free agent in March 2025 — on a similarly talented roster around him compared to what he has now in Minnesota, render the Steelers viable competition for the quarterback’s services.
That said, if the Vikings want Darnold back, they should have the inside track. The key simply comes down to value. Minnesota has a talented play caller in head coach Kevin O’Connell and quality pass catchers across the board. When healthy, the offensive line is adept in pass protection.
If team brass believes that its culture and complementary pieces elevated Darnold more than the other way around, Minnesota may embrace the relative unknown of McCarthy and spend its $40 million per year to make the team around him even better.