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Vikings QB Sam Darnold Predicted to Ink Wild Contract After Playoff Loss

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Dible | Last updated Jan 14, 2025 4:17 PM ET

Calls are already raining down for the Minnesota Vikings to cut ties with quarterback Sam Darnold and move on with injured rookie J.J. McCarthy following a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the NFC playoffs Monday night.

But some analysts in the know are swimming against the rising tide of anti-Darnold sentiment. Among them is ESPN's Benjamin Solak who predicted on Tuesday, Jan. 14, that not only will Darnold get paid, but that it will be the Vikings who pay him.

"I really, truly believe the Vikings will extend Darnold. They have the room for something in the Daniel Jones neighborhood -- four years, $160 million is probably optimal, if they can get Darnold to sign that before another team in the free [agent] market offers him a whale of a deal," Solak wrote. "Depending on the size of the contract, they'll either keep McCarthy or quietly look to trade him ahead of a bad quarterback draft class and see if a needy team takes the bait."

Spotrac projects Darnold's market value at $40.1 million annually over a new four-year contract, which is almost exactly the figure Solak suggested. That is down nearly $15 million from the website's projection just a couple of weeks ago.

While paying Darnold that much money might not sit well with a large swath of the fan base following how poorly he played in Week 18 against the Detroit Lions and in the playoffs against the Rams, it is the logical move based on the information Minnesota has.

The Vikings know they can win with Darnold in head coach Kevin O'Connell's system. They just did it 14 times in a 17-game regular season.

Darnold is only 27 years old and largely excelled with the roster around him in Minnesota, which should only get better via the $73 million in projected salary cap space at Minnesota's disposal in 2025.

McCarthy has never taken a snap that counts in the NFL and turns just 22 years old later this month. His trade value could easily be two -- or even three -- draft picks, including a first-rounder in the top 10 this April considering that his 2024 player grade was better than those of either Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward in 2025.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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