When the 2024 NFL season started, no one expected the Minnesota Vikings to be sitting at 13-2, with a chance to take home the NFC North title and the #1 seed in the NFC playoff picture with two weeks left. No one anticipated the Vikings being one of the best teams in the league, and they certainly didn’t expect Sam Darnold to be a driving force behind that charge.
Darnold, to this point in his career, had been a first-round bust and a journeyman, spending the last few seasons as a backup. If anything, Darnold was brought in to be a bridge to the rookie first-round pick, J.J. McCarthy — and a likely underwhelming bridge, at that.
But that’s not how things have played out. In fact, they’ve played out almost as differently from expectations as possible, which could leave the Vikings in an awkward situation come this year’s free agency period. Darnold has played well enough to have many questioning whether or not the Vikings should delay the transition to McCarthy for another season.
However, doing so would involve a heavy investment on the Vikings’ part. One they may not be willing to make. But should they be? At least one NFL analyst seems to think so. On a recent appearance on Good Morning Football, NFL analyst Peter Schrager voiced his opinion on what could be a potential quarterback controversy brewing in Minneapolis, saying:
“If I’m the Vikings, I’m either signing him (Darnold) and saying to J.J. McCarthy ‘sorry dude, it is what it is. You’re gonna be in an Aaron Rodgers/Jordan Love situation for the next couple years, or I’m gonna franchise tag Darnold and say ‘Let’s run it back and let’s let McCarthy get a year of being healthy and watching from him.”
If the Vikings are going to bring Darnold back, that second option may be the most likely. Either way — whether through free agency or the franchise tag — Darnold will see a significant pay increase next season over the 1-year/$10 million deal he signed with the Vikings prior to this season.
If Minnesota gives Darnold the franchise tag, it will only tie them together for another season, as opposed to making a long-term commitment with another quarterback waiting in the wings. It also gives the Vikings the option to trade Darnold should another team be willing to part with the NFL Draft capital it takes to acquire a player who has been tagged.
No matter how it plays out, if the Vikings are able to win their final two games of the season, lock up the NFC North and the #1 seed, and make a run in the playoffs, the team will have a choice to make in the offseason. One that many other teams would do almost anything to have to make.
