Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports activities.
Fairly unceremoniously, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold may’ve mentioned goodbye to his employer and teammates late Friday evening.
Vikings QB Seems to Say Goodbye
The 27-year-old quarterbacked the Vikings in 2024 after rookie J.J. McCarthy tore his meniscus and completely bedazzled onlookers for 16 video games. Darnold accounted for 36 whole touchdowns and 4,319 passing yards whereas inserting his title on the perimeter of MVP chatter for 4 months.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Photos.
And along with his future up within the air, Darnold posted — what appeared like — a sentimental goodbye notice on Instagram.
“Year 7… So grateful for my teammates, coaches, and the entire organization. We created memories and relationships that will last a lifetime and we got to do it in front of the best fanbase in the world #SKOL,” Darnold wrote Friday night.
Darnold is just not overly lively on social media, and most followers thought-about the put up a miniature farewell deal with. NFL free company is about six weeks away, and pundits classify Darnold as the highest quarterback commodity on the open market.
There’s all the time an opportunity that social media customers misconstrued the picture and caption, however Darnold can possible command between $30 million and $45 million from a quarterback-needy franchise. Alternatively, the Vikings have the aforementioned McCarthy ready to grab the QB1 job on an reasonably priced contract till the top of 2028.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Photos.
Sportsbooks predict McCarthy will begin in September for Minnesota, not Darnold.
If Darnold’s feedback had been a goodbye, the place will he go subsequent? Nicely, about seven NFL groups might moderately make use of him in 2025 and improve from their 2024 starter. Some early offseason steam has advised the Las Vegas Raiders as Darnold’s most certainly touchdown spot as a result of that group was the one membership that entered final season with completely zero plan at quarterback for the long run. Las Vegas is scheduled to choose sixth in April’s draft, not deemed prime actual property for a rookie passer as a result of Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) and Cam Ward (Miami) will most likely be gone be then.
Brad Rempel-Imagn Photos
Las Vegas additionally employed John Spytek as its basic supervisor, and he simply witnessed firsthand Baker Mayfield’s revival in Tampa Bay. The Raiders, too, employed Pete Carroll late this week as head coach, and his former crew, the Seattle Seahawks, has a current historical past of beginning reclamation passers.
Along with Las Vegas, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, and Indianapolis Colts may very well be touchdown spots for Darnold.
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Photos.
Darnold’s teammates from the Vikings roster flocked to applaud him within the feedback on the Instagram put up.
He’ll flip 28 in June. Darnold received the 2024 PFWA Comeback Participant of the 12 months award on Friday.
The Vikings might re-sign Daniel Jones at QB2 for 2025 if Darnold indicators elsewhere.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the College of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his every day YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The present options company, evaluation, and opinion on all issues associated to the purple crew, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates again to 1996. Listed responsible pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doorways (the band). He follows the NBA as intently because the NFL.
All statistics offered by Professional Soccer Reference / Stathead; all contractual info offered by OverTheCap.com.
