The Minnesota Vikings revived Sam Darnold’s career, using an infrastructure featuring Kevin O’Connell, Justin Jefferson, and one of the league’s best defenses to go 14-3 last season. But while last season’s success has put Darnold in a position to cash in during free agency, it may be hard to duplicate at his next landing spot.
A recent report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler shared that a group of NFL executives believe Darnold could end up with the Las Vegas Raiders this spring. One anonymous executive stated that the Raiders could trade up from the sixth spot to land top quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward in April’s draft, but it would be more prudent to acquire Darnold with $92.5 million in cap space entering next season.
“At pick 6, the Raiders are out of range for a quarterback unless they move up, which wouldn’t be smart based on the holes they have,” The executive said. “They need every pick. They have the flexibility within the cap to get it done.”
Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold would go from one of the NFL’s best supporting casts to one of the worst in the Las Vegas Raiders
Darnold had a tremendous year in 2024, throwing for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions on a one-year, $10 million deal last season. The Vikings have been reportedly interested in bringing Darnold back next season, but Fowler also said it would only take one team to drive up his price as the 27-year-old hits free agency.
Fowler also stated that Darnold’s price could rise based on the supply and demand of quarterbacks in this year’s draft. While Sanders and Ward are projected as potential Week 1 starters, there isn’t anyone in this class with the same buzz, which could lead many teams to the free-agent market.
The Raiders could be one of those teams as they look to improve a quarterback situation that was led by Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew, and Desmond Ridder. But there isn’t much around the quarterback position outside of tight end Brock Bowers and defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Las Vegas’s leadership structure is also in question after the team fired head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco after one season. While Tom Brady assumed a minority role in the Raiders last fall, chairman Mark Davis remains present after over a decade of making the Raiders one of the most dysfunctional ownership groups in the NFL.
This leads to the question of why Darnold would want to go to the Raiders other than to to get paid. But if the Vikings use the franchise tag and send him to Vegas for draft capital, Darnold may not have a choice.
It’s just one outcome that could lead to Darnold playing for a lesser infrastructure next year and could make duplicating his rebound season a more difficult task.