3 Sam Darnold free agent suitors that won't let postseason disaster deter them

Sam Darnold has officially come down from the high that was the 2024 season. His dominant run with the Minnesota Vikings during the season came to a screeching halt after the Los Angeles Rams shut down Darnold and the Vikings in the final wild card game of the weekend. 

The anti-climatic end to the Vikings season brought a reality that they have a decision to make when it comes to Darnold. The belief is after a disappointing end that featured back-to-back losses, a miserable offensive display and ultimate frustration. 

It pretty much confirmed he’ll become a free agent this year and the Vikings will turn to a new quarterback for 2025. That said, while the Vikings may be interested in going another direction, there are reports that Darnold’s stock didn’t get affected from an early playoff exit. 

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Darnold was never in play for a contract in the $50 million range. He was always floating around what Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield were given. Back in 2023, Smith signed a three-year deal worth $75 million; Mayfield signed a three year, $100 million extension with the Buccaneers last offseason. 

Which means Darnold isn’t as expensive as he could be. But it also means after Monday night, it’s still a risk to offer him that kind of money, for essentially a really good regular season. 

Nonetheless, his playoff dud won’t be enough to deter some teams from taking a flier on Darnold in hopes of not just the same regular season magic, but also turn that into playoff success. Here’s who’s desperate enough to throw the bag at Darnold this spring. 

3) The Las Vegas Raiders had a quarterback problem all year, why take a risk on a rookie when they can get a proven veteran?

Darnold has been in the NFL for seven years now. It’s the most attractive thing about taking a chance on him. He’s a veteran that has been through a lot of adversity. And now he’s proven he deserves to be a starting quarterback. 

The Las Vegas Raiders taking a chance on him feels likely because they need a lot of pieces to get back to the playoffs. But since the Derek Carr era, they haven’t had stability at the quarterback position. Darnold provides that. 

And he gets them a quarterback that can be good enough to win. This would allow them to draft for need and possibly best available for a skill position with the No. 6 pick this April. Now Darnold was fortunate to have one of the best receivers in the NFL in Justin Jefferson this season.

Without Jefferson, Darnold could be more a liability to force throws and possibly turn the ball over. So it would be imperative for the Raiders to build an offense around Darnold via free agency and the draft. 

Again, Darnold doesn’t solve all their problems. But in a division with Patrick Mahomes, Bo Nix and Justin Herbert, they need a quarterback to be competitive in that division. The rest will figure itself out. And with Brock Bowers playing at an elite level this past season, Darnold has at least one sure-fire target to go to. 

2) The New York Giants flopped with Daniel Jones. Maybe they see positives in Sam Darnold to take the gamble. 

Much like the Raiders, the New York Giants have a lot of question marks around the team. They need more offensive and defensive weapons and using a top 5 pick on a quarterback feels like a waste. 

In the Giants’ case, this quarterback class isn’t overwhelmingly superior where it makes sense to take that much of a gamble when you have so many needs to address. With the third pick, the Giants could get another wide receiver or potentially get an edge rusher to pair with Brian Burns. 

That’s why they could be interested in Darnold. He’s less of a risk than drafting Daniel Jones was. And with Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, it just feels like they’re both too risky to draft where if it doesn’t work out, you set the rebuild back again. 

Darnold can win, something Jones struggled with. This is an interesting move with the Giants retaining both Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen. But it also means, if they can’t win with Darnold, it was never the players. And it’s time to clean house. 

1) The Tennessee Titans are on the clock and could alleviate the pressure of taking a quarterback by signing Sam Darnold.

The Titans are probably feeling the pressure of taking a quarterback with the No. 1 pick. But that pick is too valuable this season for them to even consider Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders. Not when they have the chance to address the quarterback position in free agency. 

It worked some years ago when they picked up Ryan Tannehill. Yes, he had a very inconsistent career which featured just two playoff wins. But Darnold could be like Tannehill and be a breath of fresh air in the quarterback room.

Because let’s be frank here. Neither Will Levis nor Mason Rudolph are good enough to be bridge options for a team that could be aggressive with the top pick in April. Getting Darnold would get them freedom to address more of their needs in the draft. 

They could get an elite edge rusher, a two-way player with untapped potential or a No. 1 receiver to replace DeAndre Hopkins. Whatever option they choose, taking a quarterback with the No. 1 problem has a much higher risk than reward. Darnold could solve at least one problem.