Vikings officially don't franchise tag Sam Darnold: What happens next?

As expected, there will be no tag placed on Darnold. What does that mean for his future?

Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) drops back to pass against the New York Giants during the first half at MetLife Stadium. | John Jones-Imagn Images

It's now official: The Tuesday afternoon deadline has passed and Sam Darnold was not franchise tagged by the Minnesota Vikings.

Vikings officially will not be tagging QB Sam Darnold, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2025

The tag would've functioned as a one-year, $40.2 million contract. It never made sense for the Vikings to use that and keep Darnold for one more season, given how much of their cap space it would've eaten up. There was plenty of speculation about the idea of tagging Darnold and then trading him for a draft pick this year, but that would've been risky for Minnesota and clearly proved too difficult to pull off in the end.

So what's next?

Well, the notable NFL newsbreakers continue to push the idea that the Vikings want Darnold back.

"The two parties will continue to work towards a deal that is best for both sides," Ian Rapoport tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.

"The Vikings and QB Sam Darnold have been in discussions about a short-term deal to keep him in Minnesota," FOX's Jordan Schultz posted. "There is mutual interest from both sides following his resurgent season to keep this relationship going, though more work remains."

Personally, I'm not buying it in the slightest. It just doesn't seem to make sense for the Vikings to retain Darnold unless he agrees to a very team-friendly deal at well below his expected market value. And at age 27, why wouldn't a player once labeled as a bust try to cash in on the best season of his career with a big multi-year contract? This push from the "insiders" seems to me to be coming directly from involved parties like Darnold and the Vikings, perhaps in an effort to boost his market.

If no deal happens with Minnesota, Darnold will hit free agency next week. Kevin O'Connell has said that Darnold has "earned the right" to be the top free agent available this offseason. The NFL's legal tampering period begins on Monday the 10th, so that's the date where Darnold's camp could agree to the terms of a deal with a new team. Nothing can become official until the start of the new league year on Wednesday the 12th.

Last year, the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins on the Monday that free agency began. Things tend to move quite quickly once that window opens. That figures to be the case with Darnold, considering he's now the most prominent domino that has to fall in the offseason quarterback carousel.

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