Long before quarterback Sam Darnold flopped badly in the Minnesota Vikings’ final two games of the season, NFL executives and others noted that the Vikings could afford to retain Darnold’s rights for 2025 via the franchise tag as 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy continues to recover from the full meniscus repair that cost him his rookie campaign.
For a mailbag published on Wednesday, NFL insider Albert Breer addressed whether or not the Vikings will keep Darnold from reaching free agency.
“My guess right now is the Minnesota Vikings don’t franchise-tag Sam Darnold and instead let the quarterback go to the market, asking that he give them a shot to match any offer he gets,” Breer wrote. “To that end, Minnesota actually could transition-tag Darnold, which would come with a less-expensive tender and the chance to match.”
As Alex Kennedy mentioned for ESPN, the transition tag is similar to the non-exclusive franchise tag in that using either would keep Darnold from becoming an unrestricted free agent. While the transition tag would give the Vikings the right to match any offer Darnold receives from a different club, Minnesota wouldn’t receive draft picks or other compensation if the 27-year-old left.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell referred to Darnold as “a bona fide legitimate starting quarterback” who “can win a lot of football games.” O’Connell added that the Vikings “will continue to have ongoing dialogue and discussions with [Darnold] and his representation” through this month.
“I know the Vikings really like J.J. McCarthy,” Breer continued, “and so long as he’s able to regain his weight and strength in the coming weeks, I think they’d be comfortable going with him as the starter.”
Those are some big “ifs” regarding a Minnesota team that went 14-3 with Darnold as its starter and that has noteworthy stars such as wide receiver Justin Jefferson ready to win now. That the Vikings may still not know exactly what McCarthy will be when springtime workouts get underway suggests the club should want to hold onto Darnold’s rights for as long as possible via either the franchise or transition tag.
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