Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Minnesota certainly hopes that will probably be in a position to retain Darnold, who has piloted the Vikings to a 12-2 file and a shot on the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Jones’ sources affirm prior experiences that the 27-year-old passer has set himself up for a contract that might pay him no less than $25M per season, which is, in fact, a substantial increase on the one-year, $10M deal he signed with the Vikings this yr.
That stated, Minnesota is projected to have upward of $70M in cap area in 2025, so a “middle-class” QB deal can be possible. It could even be a discount if Darnold, underneath the tutelage of head coach Kevin O’Connell, has really blossomed into the participant the Jets believed he can be once they made him the No. 3 general decide of the 2018 draft.
Darnold’s 104.9 QB score is the fourth-highest mark within the league, he has led 4 game-winning drives and the Vikings are eighth within the league in scoring as of the time of this writing. That efficiency, mixed with Minnesota’s win-loss file, makes it no shock that the crew needs him again.
In fact, the Vikes signed Darnold this offseason to make him a bridge passer, not a long-term fixture underneath heart. As such, the crew chosen J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 general decide of this yr’s draft, and McCarthy was the participant deemed to be the quarterback of the longer term.
Based on Jones, that has not modified. The Vikings’ degree of religion in McCarthy is as excessive because it was when he was drafted, and the season-ending knee harm he suffered in August has not altered the membership’s view of his profession trajectory.
Nevertheless, Darnold’s efforts this season can’t be ignored, and one AFC government instructed Jones that McCarthy may develop into Minnesota’s model of Inexperienced Bay’s Jordan Love (a first-round decide who sat behind Aaron Rodgers for a number of seasons earlier than lastly getting an opportunity to run the present).
Since Darnold’s mixture of youth and skill may make him probably the most fascinating QB on this yr’s free-agent class, it’s nonetheless attainable that his asking value goes past the Vikings’ consolation degree.
However his 2024 displaying has afforded him the flexibility to be selective about his future dwelling, and Jones says the USC product will naturally train warning to keep away from undesirable conditions like these he discovered himself in as a member of the Jets and Panthers.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com says the Browns would have curiosity if Darnold hits the open market, although it’s unclear whether or not Cleveland — regardless of the presumptive presence of a well-respected offensive thoughts in HC Kevin Stefanski — would qualify as a fascinating scenario.
Minnesota has proved to be an ideal match, and if the Vikings are keen to spend, it seems that the door to a multiyear pact between Darnold and the membership stays open.
