Another Steelers QB Option Sure to Hit Market
The Minnesota Vikings are not expected to use a franchise tag on quarterback Sam Darnold, letting him hit the open market for the start of the free agent contact period next week.
According to a report by Tony Pauline of Sportskeedia on Sunday, the Vikings will not consider tagging Darnold, even in a tag and trade scenario, instead letting the resurgent former top-three draft pick hit the free agent market.
There had been thoughts that the Vikings might want to either bring Darnold back under the tag for 2025, because of questions about the readiness of 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, either related to his season-ending injury from last fall or just in general.
But it seems as if the Vikings are committing to McCarthy, and won’t tag Darnold to try to flip him for other assets, despite the fact that the Vikings allowed Darnold’s contract to void earlier this offseason, setting themselves up to be able to use the tag.
The franchise tag window runs through May 4, so the Vikings have only a few days left to make a final decision.
Minnesota thought it was landing its franchise quarterback of the future when the Vikings took McCarthy out of Michigan in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. That didn’t pan out in 2024, when McCarthy was lost for the year to a preseason injury. Darnold played surprisingly well, leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record, the club’s best since 1998.
That prompted throughs that Darnold might stick around for longer than the one-year deal he signed with the Vikings last offseason. But Darnold struggled in losses to the Detroit Lions in Week 18 and the Wild Card playoff to the Los Angeles Rams.
The market for Darnold is complicated, with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants and New York Jets the most obvious quarterback-needy teams, but others like the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts could be in play for Darnold in what is a thin quarterback free agent market.
The No. 3 overall pick by the Jets in the 2018 NFL Draft, Darnold spent three seasons as the starter in New York, amassing a 13-25 record and recording a 78.6 passer rating.
Darnold wasn’t much better in two following seasons with the Carolina Panthers, but turned things around with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023. That turned into the opportunity in Minnesota, where, paired with head coach Kevin O’Connell, he caught fire.
Darnold’s struggles in other schemes before working under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco and a Sean McVay disciple in Minnesota might mean that he might not be a fit for all of the quarterback-needy clubs.
The Steelers have been connected to Darnold, though not extensively.
“The Giants, Raiders and Titans are among the logical options,” Jeremy Fowler of ESPN wrote about Darnold’s landing spots on Sunday. “And I’m not totally discounting the Steelers here — not yet, at least.”
It’s been seen as more likely that the Steelers will turn back to one of their internal options, Justin Fields or Russell Wilson.
