Head coach, GM remain noncommittal about Sam Darnold's future with Minnesota Vikings

Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah met with the media at the NFL Combine in Indy on Tuesday.

Dec 1, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) looks to hand the ball off against the Arizona Cardinals during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The clock is ticking for the Minnesota Vikings to use the franchise or transition tag on quarterback Sam Darnold, and other teams are less than two weeks away from being able to negotiate with him as a free agent. Where do the Vikings stand in their quarterback decision?

If Kevin O'Connell knows, he isn't sharing. On Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, the 39-year-old head coach remained noncommittal about Minnesota's plans for Darnold.

"I've had great dialogue with Sam from the time the season ended up until very, very recently. I think my relationship with Sam has grown to a point where the respect level is sky-high," O'Connell said when asked directly about the Vikings' stance on the 27-year-old QB, who passed for more than 4,300 yards and 35 touchdowns this past season.

"This process is going to play out both short term and long term for the Minnesota Vikings, and Sam is in a position where the NFL thinks he can play quarterback at a high level. That's a really good thing, and I feel very proud to be a part of helping him get to this point. We'll see where it goes from here."

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah also spoke in Indy and was asked how much Darnold's rough last two games against the Lions and Rams will factor into the decision.

"That was really kind of the core of our offseason—really thinking through that holistically. Not trying to be overweighted by those eight quarters but also not underweighting those last two games," said Adofo-Mensah. "Really, he played a lot of good football for us in Year 1 of the system, so you can expect more later. We're excited [for] the potential for Sam, whatever that ends up being. It's a tough exercise."

Darnold and the Vikings crumbled against the immense pressure the Lions brought in Week 18 to win the NFC North and clinch the No. 1 overall seed, and the same happened in the playoff loss to the Rams.

One might interpret part of Adofo-Mensah's comment—"you can expect more later"—as a signal that Darnold could be back in 2025, perhaps via the franchise tag. Or, it could have simply been the GM speaking generally about players improving in their second year within an offensive system.

Whatever the case, the Vikings have until March 4 to tag Darnold. Once March 10 arrives, he can entertain offers from other teams. He can officially sign a contract beginning March 12.