Colin Cowherd: Vikings 'have to consider franchise tagging' Sam Darnold

Sam Darnold has shifted the narrative on his career with the Minnesota Vikings. The former No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft went from a backup quarterback to a starter on a Super Bowl contender. From a draft bust to an MVP candidate.

In his first season in Minnesota, Darnold has led the Vikings to an 11-2 start while ranking sixth in the league in passing yards (3,299), seventh in the league in completion percentage (68.4%) among quarterbacks that have attempted at least 100 passes and he's tied for third in the NFL in touchdown passes (28). He has a 108.1 passer rating on the season, too.

Those aren't the numbers of the middle-of-the-row starting quarterback, they're the numbers of a surefire top-10 quarterback in football. Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranks Darnold as the sixth-best signal caller in the league with an 86.4 offensive grade, putting him only behind the Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson (91.7), the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow (91.3), the Los Angeles Chargers' Justin Herbert (89.8), the Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen (89.3) and the Washington Commanders' Jayden Daniels (87.9). What's wild is there's no clear answer to whether Darnold will return next season.

The Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy as their quarterback of the future with the No. 10 overall pick in this year's draft. The expectation was that Darnold would be a stopgap quarterback, perhaps playing out this season, or perhaps just holding it down until McCarthy was ready to take over later in the year. But McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason and Darnold has played himself into the MVP conversation. What does that mean for the Vikings long term?

No one knows, but FS1's Colin Cowherd thinks the Vikings would be fools to let Darnold walk.

"I get why they drafted J.J. McCarthy, but he needed a second surgery on his meniscus, on his knee swelling, a second one," Cowherd said Monday on FS1. "... Sam Darnold right now, five touchdowns, no picks, he's entered the MVP conversation. Here's the thing: What are you gonna do with him? He's a free agent. Are you gonna let him walk?"

.@ColinCowherd on what the Vikings do with Sam Darnold:

"He's entered the MVP conversation... You're going to let him walk out of the building? I think you have to consider franchise tagging him." pic.twitter.com/iFcsZxVPY9
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) December 9, 2024

That's where it gets interesting. There have been a lot of parallels drawn between Darnold's resurgence this season and how Baker Mayfield revived his career last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mayfield played himself into a three-year contract worth up to $115 million, and the expectation would be that Darnold would demand a similar type of deal.

But that would also force McCarthy to the sidelines for a few more years, and the Vikings may want to utilize that rookie contract as soon as possible. But between the way Darnold's been playing, and if Minnesota doesn't believe McCarthy will be ready for next season due to the knee or otherwise, they could also explore franchise tagging Darnold for next season, but that's projected to cost a whopping $41 million, a significant jump from the $10 million deal Darnold is playing on now.

"I think you have to consider franchise tagging him," Cowherd said when riffing about what the Vikings should do about Darnold. "... That's more than they want to pay, but on the market, isn't Sam Darnold gonna get close to that anyway? I think they were hoping J.J. McCarthy, after Sam Darnold started the year, could maybe take over at Thanksgiving or next year, but what do you do with this? Are you gonna let a potential top-five MVP guy walk out of the building? I wouldn't."

The franchise tag certainly makes some sense. The Vikings will have significant cap space next season, and while they have some notable other impending free agents (Cam Bynum, Aaron Jones, Byron Murphy, Shaq Griffin and Dalton Risner, among others), they can likely take on the $41 million price tag while keeping the roster mostly in tact. It would provide an easy pathway to transition to McCarthy, too, if they decide after next season he's the future of the franchise. On the flip side, if Darnold puts together another brilliant season and he's viewed as the long-term answer, the price only goes up.

All in all, it's a good problem to have. Darnold has played so well the Vikings will be forced to consider keeping him on next season, or perhaps beyond. It's nevertheless still a conundrum Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will have to figure out: Will they stick with Darnold — franchise tag or long term — or will it be McCarthy's time to take the reigns?

"Be very careful about letting great employees walk out the door, especially off a great year," Cowherd said. "... I think you have to consider it — this was always a good team and a good franchise. But there is no question Darnold has added juice and energy and playmaking and athleticism, and the crowd started chanting MVP, and I think you have to put him in that top-five category. ... Close game, three big scoring drives. He had three touchdowns in the second half; he had only two incompletions. That's Sam Darnold, the playmaker. Break downs, running right, deep downfield, that element did not exist with Kirk Cousins, and they were making the playoffs with Kirk Cousins."

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