Vikings next step forward with Sam Darnold could be shockingly simple

J.J. McCarthy may still be the quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings' future, but Sam Darnold is unquestionably the signal-caller of the team's present. His stellar play this season has officials in Minnesota scrambling to figure out how they can stop him from leaving town via free agency.

The solution to the team's good problem at quarterback may be quite simple. The Vikings can keep Darnold by hammering out a long-term deal with the 27-year-old gunslinger. The easier solution might be to place the franchise tag on Darnold to buy another year of development for McCarthy before making such a big sea change on offense.

The franchise tag would allow Darnold to make somewhere in the neighborhood of $41 million next season. That might be a slight overpay, but it would limit the team's long-term exposure. Some NFL sources believe a multi-year deal for Darnold might cost the Vikings upwards of $100 million over three seasons.

Vikings easiest solution to Sam Darnold problem is the franchise tag

It's an interesting problem for the Vikings' front office to figure out, but make no mistake, it's a problem a lot of NFL teams would love to have. Darnold has exceeded expectations this year and led the team to a sparkling 14-2 record heading into their regular-season finale. McCarthy's injury was a disappointment to the franchise but they still have a lot of confidence in his ability to be their long-term starter.

One other potential wrinkle in Darnold's status is the possibility of him being tagged and then shopped on the trade market. Plenty of quarterback-needy teams would love to acquire a player of his caliber who is still squarely in his prime. Darnold's uneven play earlier in his career might cool his market a bit, but the Vikings could shop him with a sky-high price tag and see if any desperate franchise meets their asking price.

Just how far the Vikings advance in the playoffs might influence their stance on Darnold's future a bit, but he's done more than enough to justify some sort of significant commitment from the franchise. Whether it's a franchise tag or a multi-year deal remains to be seen.