After a career year on a one-year, prove-it contract, there was a bit of an expectation that Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold had done an impressive bit of work to improve his contract outlook for 2025. The way the 2025 offseason has been developing, though, it’s looking like it might be a bit of a challenge for Darnold to make the most of his upward momentum, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. 
It almost seemed like the NFL had given up on Darnold as a starter in the league. After showing promise winning seven of 13 starts in a sophomore campaign for the Jets, any hopes were dashed when he went 2-10as a starter the next year. The Panthers gave New York some decent value in a trade just to see Darnold go 4-7 in his first year with the team and be relegated to the bench the following season.
As a free agent in 2023, Darnold signed with the 49ers having to win the backup quarterback job behind Brock Purdy over Trey Lance. After winning the backup job, he made one start in 10 appearances, getting the lowest playtime of his career.
Despite having just spent a year as a backup, Darnold signed a one-year, $10MM deal with the Vikings, who were moving on from long-time passer Kirk Cousins and drafting the College Football National Championship-winning quarterback J.J. McCarthy from Michigan. Signing Darnold gave them a backup option in case McCarthy was not quite ready to take the reins as a rookie. His extensive experience as a starter made him a valuable option to compete for the starting job with the 21-year-old, an option who could also serve as a strong backup should the rookie win the job.
That competition was cut short, though, when McCarthy suffered a meniscus injury that required a full repair surgery, forcing him to miss his entire rookie season. Darnold stepped into the starting role and led the Vikings to competition for the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC with a 14-3 record, recording career highs in passing yards (4,319) and touchdowns (35) while only throwing 12 picks. Darnold and the Vikings became the surprise of the season, and the expectation was that his value as a free agent would skyrocket as a result.
Understandably, it was potential trade target Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles that drew the most attention from teams desiring to acquire a veteran quarterback in the offseason. Now that he’s remaining with the Rams, Darnold has become the new top option. The Raiders are a team that were trying hard for Stafford, but multiple sources at The Athletic claim that they were only willing to shell out serious cash for Stafford.
After the Raiders, it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to spend serious money on the position. The Vikings have explored tagging options, but they’re extremely prepared to hand the team over to McCarthy and won’t likely be willing to dedicate much salary to Darnold to return. The Browns are already stuck paying $92MM over the next two years to continue watching Deshaun Watson not play. The Saints are sticking with Derek Carr. The Jets and Giants are theoretically options, but per Volin, it doesn’t seem like Darnold is interested in reuniting with New York and MetLife.
Tennessee seems like one of the best options to explore his value. The Titans seem to have interest in riding the Will Levis train for a bit longer, and Darnold might be a pricey bridge option. Tennessee could also use their No. 1 overall draft pick on a quarterback and, once again, use Darnold as a competitor for their rookie. Or, if pairing Darnold with Levis satisfies their needs, they could trade out of the top spot, acquiring additional draft capital while likely still being able to draft a talented first-rounder.
The best option may just be to return to Minnesota, though. The Vikings have already made it known they’re not willing to commit to a big-money, long-term deal, but he knows he fits well in the building and remains as a starting option if McCarthy struggles early. It’s disappointing that Darnold’s big year may not get rewarded in the way many expected, but he still has some interesting options to make the most of his situation.