Another Sam Darnold Suitor Revealed

Reports surrounding Sam Darnold continue to come in all over the board. Regardless of what the Minnesota Vikings do regarding the franchise tag, it remains likely that Kevin O’Connell has a new quarterback under center next season.

That’s a good thing because they invested a first round pick in J.J. McCarthy last spring. He has the makings of a potential franchise quarterback, and could provide that potential during his rookie deal. There are multiple quarterback-needy teams this offseason, and Darnold fits with plenty of them.

The MN Vikings signed Sam Darnold under the perception that he could bridge the gap to J.J. McCarthy. Maybe Anthony Richardson is on his way out for the Colts, or maybe Indianapolis has a similar thought process.

A Minnesota Vikings-like scenario for Sam Darnold

Last season the Minnesota Vikings brought Sam Darnold in on a one-year deal with intentions of rookie J.J. McCarthy eventually taking over. That would be a similar situation if Darnold ends up with the Indianapolis Colts, but The Athletic’s Zach Rosenblatt sees it happening.

“Ballard, somehow, is getting another shot at finding a quality starting quarterback. Darnold is the top free agent available coming off a stellar 2024: 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. PFF projects Darnold to get a contract worth more than $40 million a year, so the Colts would be banking on him playing like he did before poor performances in regular-season-finale and wild-card-playoff losses.”

The Athletic

Whatever future Anthony Richardson has with the Indianapolis Colts is unclear. He was the fourth overall pick two years ago, but literally asked to come out of one game last season.

He started just four games as a rookie, and Joe Flacco took over for him at multiple points during the season last year. Darnold would give head coach Shane Steichen a veteran option that is substantially younger than Flacco.

Related: Steam Building Toward Sam Darnold Contract Extension with Vikings…

With the Vikings, Darnold threw for a career-high 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns while being picked off just 12 times. Those numbers are good for 12th in PFF passing grade among quarterbacks in the league. Richardson has always been expected to be a more dynamic option, but he was so raw coming out of Florida that he may never get there.

The NFL instagram has ranked Sam Darnold’s bomb to Justin Jefferson as the top throw of the 2024 NFL Season pic.twitter.com/03iLJlfWhB

— Jason Harmon (@_jason_777) February 21, 2025

The Colts certainly don’t have the offensive talent that Minnesota did last season. Flacco succeeding with them in 2023, and to a lesser extent last season, makes it relatively clear that an option like Darnold could fare well in Indy. A multi-year deal probably signals the end for Richardson with Indy, for now though.

So far plenty of the chatter surrounding Sam Darnold has revolved around Las Vegas. The Raiders don’t have a logical answer, and Pete Carroll needs something to jumpstart his return to coaching. The former Vikings quarterback profiles as a more logical fit in that sort of situation.

Related: Vikings Predicted to Add Another Former Top 5 Pick at QB

If the Colts are going to sign Darnold, then they’d likely be parting out Richardson near the bottom of his value. Of course they have been mismanaged for quite some time, so making a goofy decision isn’t something that should necessarily be put past them.