Latest report makes clear Vikings have perfect leverage over Sam Darnold situation

The Minnesota Vikings' magical 14-win season ended with a dull thud in the playoffs. Now comes an offseason chock full of questions.

For a team still navigating the turbulence of life without Kirk Cousins, the Sam Darnold phenomenon has been something of a double-edged sword.

The 27-year-old put together an undeniably impressive season as Minnesota's starting QB, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns to claim his first Pro Bowl selection. On the other hand, Darnold stumbled down the stretch and was thoroughly outclassed in a Wild Card showdown with Matthew Stafford. Factor in the uncertainty of his one-year contract, and it's unclear how exactly the Vikings should proceed.

It was supposed to be a heck of a lot simpler. The Vikings initially signed Darnold as nothing more than a bridge quarterback — a placeholder until top-10 pick J.J. McCarthy was up to speed. Then, McCarthy blew out his knee, which left Darnold shouldering the burden of expectations. He thrived, until he didn't, and the Vikings need to nail his free agency decision.

If Minnesota makes the wrong choice on Darnold's future, it could haunt the franchise for a generation. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has a few options. He can tag Darnold, let him walk, or re-sign him to a long-term contract in the Baker Mayfield vein.

Thankfully, J.J. McCarthy appears to be taking some of the edge off for Vikings fans (and the front office).

J.J. McCarthy's progress gives Vikings room to breath as Sam Darnold hits free agency

Normally, there wouldn't be much doubt after the season Darnold just had. The Vikings would line up a $100 million-plus contract and let the former top-three pick captain the offense for years to come. With McCarthy beginning to show progress after his meniscus rehab, however, Minnesota is at a crossroads.

The beauty of this whole situation for Minnesota is that Darnold's success can be directly attributed to the fortuitousness of his circumstances. The Vikings have the best offensive setup in the league between Kevin O'Connell's play-calling, a robust pass-catching corps, and a steadfast O-line. Pretty much any quarterback can succeed, or at least perform passably, in Minnesota. That should increase optimism around McCarthy's ability to produce straight away.

The second-year rookie appears to be on the right path, too, which gives the Vikings some extra leverage as Darnold's market takes shape, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

"The Minnesota Vikings are really happy with J.J. McCarthy, " Breer writes. "He’s back moving around and throwing, and will have a full offseason following August’s meniscus repair and a subsequent second procedure in the fall that turned out to be more of a cleanup than anything else. In turn, Minnesota now has some flexibility with Sam Darnold."

Breer cites McCarthy's strong 2024 preseason, which initially complicated plans to start Darnold out of the gate. The Vikings still need to tread carefully, but if there is genuine confidence in McCarthy, the stakes of Darnold's free agency are much lower. Minnesota can let Darnold walk without it feeling like an unmitigated risk. Or, perhaps better for both parties, the Vikings can keep Darnold on the transition tag and let him negotiate elsewhere. That way, if he does stick around, it's for one more season to let McCarthy get his feet wet. If Darnold performs well again, that would only increase the value of his next contract in 2026, while Minnesota gets a better sense of McCarthy's development in the meantime. A win-win-win.

There are ways to mess this up, of course, but the Vikings' front office ranks among the very best in the sport, and having multiple good quarterbacks to pick between is a nice problem to have.