Vikings make important decision regarding QB Sam Darnold

Vikings make important decision on Sam Darnold

The first decision that the Vikings needed to make when it came to free agency was dealing with void dates. There were four contracts set to void on Monday, Feb. 17.

• CB Stephon Gilmore
• QB Sam Darnold
• RB Aaron Jones
• CB Byron Murphy Jr.

They did choose to move the void dates on both Jones and Murphy, but one that they didn't make a move on was Darnold. ESPN's Dan Graziano reported that Murphy got his date removed, but Darnold didn't.

This is a really important factor for Darnold and the potential use of the franchise tag. Since his void date wasn't moved, the Vikings still have the ability to use the franchise tag on him. Conversely, they no longer have the ability to use it on either Jones or Murphy.

Will the Vikings place the franchise tag on Darnold? ESPN's Kevin Seifert opined that the status quo could change after the NFL Scouting Combine.

"The Vikings will walk a very specific tightrope during this franchise tag window. On the one hand, they have a 27-year-old Pro Bowl quarterback in Sam Darnold whose contract is expiring. Normally, you don't want to let someone like that walk out the door for nothing. On the other hand, they have their quarterback of the future already on the roster in JJ McCarthy.

"So my understanding is that for now, as far as the franchise tag is concerned, the Vikings are going to sit tight. There's no real incentive to tag Sam Darnold at the start of the window, it'll be open until March 4. It doesn't mean they've ruled it out by any means, and it also doesn't mean they won't eventually sign him to a multi-year deal, but the key here will be whether the Vikings become aware of a potential trade market for Darnold. If there is, they could execute what's known as a tag and trade. In that scenario, Sam Darnold walks out of the building, but this time for draft pick compensation. It's not as well as it might seem. Remember, Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell was on the Patriots roster in 2009 when the Patriots tagged Matt Cassel and then traded him to the Chiefs. It's something to at least keep an eye on."

The Vikings could easily change their minds about using the franchise tag, but it's currently unknown what they will do.