Despite Sam Darnold signing with the Seattle Seahawks back in March, the Minnesota Vikings are still benefiting from his departure.
According to projections from Over The Cap, the Vikings are expected to land a third-round compensatory selection in the 2026 NFL Draft because of Darnold's exit.
This would mark the second year in a row that Minnesota would end up with a third-round compensatory draft pick due to the departure of a veteran quarterback, as the team received one after Kirk Cousins left last offseason to sign with the Atlanta Falcons.
Sam Darnold not the only one helping the Minnesota Vikings after his 2025 departure
In addition to the third-round compensatory draft selection that the Vikings are projected to receive from Darnold's exit, Over The Cap also projects the team to end up with a fifth-round compensatory pick in the 2026 draft for the departure of offensive tackle Cam Robinson this offseason.
Minnesota originally acquired Robinson in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars last October after starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw suffered a torn ACL. In order to land Robinson from the Jaguars, the Vikings only sent over a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick.
If that conditional selection ends up remaining a 2026 fifth-round pick, then Minnesota essentially gave up nothing to acquire Robinson last year, which would be impressive considering how desperate the team was to add a new starting left tackle after Darrisaw went down.
Currently, the Vikings are projected to have a total of seven selections in the 2026 NFL Draft.
- 2026 First-Round Pick
- 2026 Second-Round Pick
- 2026 Third-Round Pick
- 2026 Third-Round Pick (Compensatory)
- 2026 Fourth-Round Pick
- 2026 Fifth-Round Pick (Compensatory)
- 2026 Seventh-Round Pick
Of course, Minnesota's amount of 2026 selections could always increase or decrease before next year's NFL Draft actually takes place. Especially with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as the Vikings' general manager, as he's shown a willingness to trade draft picks multiple times during his tenure with the franchise.