Since the Minnesota Vikings season ended with a 27-9 wild-card round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the media frenzy surrounding Sam Darnold and his impending free agency has cooled off. With so many eyeballs elsewhere to focus on other playoff games, the conversation has moved on.
However, if the Vikings were in the Super Bowl, the Darnold free agency narrative would be off the charts.
After being removed from the spotlight for a couple of weeks, the 27-year-old field general broke the silence about his offseason and potential free agency while at the 2025 Pro Bowl.
"I've put a little bit of thought into it. I'm not going to share anything about what I've been thinking or the conversations I've had behind closed doors," said Darnold.
"There's a lot that's going to happen still, even after the Super Bowl. I'm just going to continue to talk to my agent and figure things out from there," he continued.
In March 2024, Darnold signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Vikings after one season as Brock Purdy's backup on the San Francisco 49ers.
Darnold broke out for Minnesota this season, passing for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound signal-caller was named to his first Pro Bowl this year.
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Vikings drafted quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He tore his right knee's meniscus during the preseason and missed all of his rookie season.
Minnesota likely viewed Darnold as a stop-gap to give McCarthy time to develop when signing the veteran. So, given his "best-case scenario" season, ponying up a multi-year, nine-figure contract is an intriguing possibility for the NFC North franchise.
Spotrac projects Darnold will command a $40 million annual average salary in his upcoming free-agent contract.
