The Minnesota Vikings have an interesting predicament at quarterback this offseason.
Either they have to pay Pro Bowl quarterback Sam Darnold or roll with second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who is coming off of a torn meniscus.
According to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, many NFL executives believe that Darnold’s next contract could be in the range of $100 million over the next three years.
Many NFL executives believe that Sam Darnold will end up signing a deal in the range of $100 million over 3 years, per @jfowlerespn pic.twitter.com/5vZuUUNE7Q
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 31, 2025
Darnold does have reason to expect a nice payday.
This past season, he set career highs in completions (361), passing yards (4,319), and touchdown passes (35).
He led the Vikings to a 14-3 record in the regular season, but the team lost in the wildcard round to the Los Angeles Rams.
By most accounts, he could be the best free-agent quarterback on the market, and the Vikings have their chance to re-sign him if they want.
If they decide to not bring him back, they are deciding to go with an unproven, inexperienced player in McCarthy who is coming off of a major injury.
Winning 14 games doesn’t happen all the time in the NFL.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell needs to think long and hard about this decision seeing as it could have a great effect on the next part of his Vikings tenure.
A win-win would be if the team re-signed Darnold but to a cheaper deal so they could continue to let McCarthy learn.
However, the former first-round pick out of USC might not be looking to earn a cheap deal after the solid season that he put forth in 2024.
NEXT: Analyst Has A Strong Belief About Sam Darnold's Future
