Sam Darnold enjoyed a resurgence in his lone season with the Minnesota Vikings. Although he was meant to serve as a stopgap starter, the veteran quarterback led the Vikings to the brink of the NFC’s top seed with a 14-3 record.
After fulfilling the obligations of his one-year deal, Darnold is poised to enter free agency as the top quarterback available. The Vikings are expected to move on to second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, which leaves Darnold free to sign with any team that offers him a deal.
The 27-year-old enjoyed a career-best season with 4,319 passing yards for 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, but Darnold ultimately fell short in the biggest moments of the season. The veteran quarterback came up flat during the regular season finale and a wild-card round loss against the Los Angeles Rams. While that may have hurt his stock quite a bit, he’s still expected to receive significant as a free agent this offseason.
Raiders reportedly aren’t interested in signing Sam Darnold
Darnold’s late-season collapse may have caused a few teams to lose interest entirely. The Las Vegas Raiders are reportedly among the teams that are not “super high” on Darnold or other potential free agents, according to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed ($).
The Raiders are in desperate need of a quarterback, but they might have fallen short of acquiring their ideal option once again. Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was the only veteran quarterback that the Raiders were willing to make a large financial commitment to this offseason, according to The Athletic. Stafford opted against uprooting his family from Los Angeles this late in his career and signed an extension with the Rams, effectively dashing the Raiders’ hopes.
There are reportedly some members of the Raiders’ offensive coaching staff who prefer a veteran option, but it’s unclear in which direction the team will go now. They may not be in position to draft one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, which may leave free agency as their only option.
The Raiders currently have a quarterback room that includes Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew and Carter Bradley. Minshew will likely be released this offseason, and neither O’Connell nor Bradley have proven themselves capable of being full-time starters. Las Vegas will have to make a move at the position, and they may ultimately find that there are worse alternatives to having Darnold under center in 2025.
The New York Jets selected Darnold with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and he languished in the Meadowlands for the first three years of his career. After a pit stop with the Carolina Panthers, Darnold took a backseat as a backup for the San Francisco 49ers for a year. That allowed him to recalibrate before thriving with Minnesota last season. While he may not repeat his 2024 season, he certainly appears to be a better option than anything else the Raiders currently have to offer.