Reports: Vikings won't franchise tag Sam Darnold ahead of Tuesday deadline

Darnold is expected to officially hit free agency next week.

Dec 29, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) walks off the field after the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Vikings are not expected to use the franchise tag on quarterback Sam Darnold ahead of Tuesday afternoon's deadline to do so, according to reports from prominent insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport on Monday night.

The tag would've paid Darnold roughly $40.2 million on a one-year deal if signed. There was some speculation that the Vikings could look to tag him and trade him to a quarterback-needy team for draft capital, but more recent reports indicated that doing so could prove to be a difficult task. Now, it appears as though Darnold will officially hit the free agent market next week.

Both insiders included in their social media posts that the Vikings have interest in retaining Darnold. "Minnesota still is interested in working to re-sign Darnold," Schefter wrote. "All parties are working through options to potentially keep him in Minnesota," Rapoport said, describing the situation as "fluid." As is often the case with these insider scoops, it's unclear how truthful that might be. In this case, it would seemingly benefit the Vikings if other teams believe they're strongly considering bringing Darnold back.

If Darnold has a robust market, it seems likely that his Vikings tenure will come to an end after one season. Minnesota has plenty of cap space, but it has ample needs at other positions and may want to sign a cheaper veteran (Daniel Jones?) to complement 22-year-old quarterback J.J. McCarthy instead of paying up for Darnold. The scenario where things could theoretically become interesting is if Darnold's market isn't as strong as expected — or if he'd consider taking less than the best offer to stay with Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings.

We'll find out what happens next week. If Darnold does depart in free agency, the Vikings could be in line for a third-round compensatory pick in 2026, provided he isn't canceled out in that formula by free agent additions.

Recommended articles