First Domino Falls as Vikings Officially Make Major Offseason Decision

When it comes to the players, the first domino has fallen for the Vikings.

Sam Darnold is going to be allowed to test free agency or sign a true extension in Minnesota, as Kevin O’Connell has been suggesting. The update arrives courtesy of The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero: “Now official: No tag for Sam Darnold. The sides are still trying to find a deal that works for both sides.” Adam Schefter agreed.

The First Domino in the Vikings’ Offseason

No doubt, this was the expected outcome. Consider, for instance, the update from ESPN’s Schefter yesterday: “Vikings QB Sam Darnold is unlikely to be franchise tagged ahead of Tuesday’s 4 pm ET deadline, per league sources. Minnesota still is interested in working to re-sign Darnold, but it is likely to be without any tag.”

And The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling: “Sources said at the combine last week they didn’t expect a Darnold tag, pointing out it would effectively function like a no-trade clause. Now, it’s either a new deal in Minnesota or another team next week.”

And The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport: “The #Vikings are not expected to franchise tag QB Sam Darnold by Tuesday’s deadline, per me and @TomPelissero. But all parties are working through options to potentially keep him in Minnesota. Darnold, who is set to hit free agency, has a situation best described as fluid.”

You get the point.

Sam Darnold was drafted at No. 3 back in 2018 by the New York Jets, a terrible team. Maybe predictably, he struggled. His second chapter with the Panthers didn’t go too much better but a brief stint as the main backup in San Francisco appears to have been beneficial. He went all the way to the Super Bowl while soaking up wisdom from Kyle Shanahan, one of the great offensive minds in the game.

Working under Kevin O’Connell’s tutelage did good things for Mr. Darnold in 2024. The talented passer showed off his elite arm and excellent athleticism on a near weekly basis while leading his team to a 14-3 record. The season ended with 4,319 passing yards, 35 passing touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He completed an impressive 66.2% of his passes.

The great blemish is Darnold’s poor effort in Week 18 and the Wild Card Round. The playoff game resulted in Darnold completing 25/40 passes for 245 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Worst of all, Darnold took 9 sacks, many of them his own fault (though the o-line had a game to forget).

Other prominent news to emerge for the Vikings this offseason has been the extension for Kevin O’Connell (which is to say nothing of him winning Coach of the Year) and the retention of defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Otherwise, it’s notable that GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah hasn’t arrived at an extension.

NFL free agency gets started on Monday, March 10th with legal tampering. The full thing hits on Wednesday, March 12th. Presumably, allowing Darnold to flirt with other teams will quickly lead to a situation where Minnesota gets outbid for the talented 27-year-old passer.

Minnesota is sitting on roughly $63 million in cap space.

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.

K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.