Report: Vikings Tried Paying Sam Darnold

This offseason, the Minnesota Vikings opted against sticking with Sam Darnold or handing the reigns to Daniel Jones. While they made thinly veiled attempts at retaining both, the reality was that the presence of J.J. McCarthy ultimately dictated their course.

There was never a world in which the Vikings were going to match the contract Seattle offered Darnold. However, they certainly put their best foot forward to show how much they wanted him back for this season.

Vikings Offered Sam Darnold a Significant Deal to Stay

After the Vikings used a first round pick on McCarthy, it was all but certain they would eventually turn the position over to him. But when McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury, and after Sam Darnold orchestrated a 14-win campaign, the Vikings clearly wanted to run it back with the veteran.

The Vikings made a similar offer to Sam Darnold as the Seahawks did this past offseason, per @TomPelissero. pic.twitter.com/2P00ifrUTu

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) November 30, 2025

“The Vikings did not simply let Sam Darnold walk. My understanding is they actually made a pretty similar offer to Sam Darnold to the one that he ultimately accepted, three-years $100.5 million with the Seahawks. Now, it was only a one-year commitment, as Seattle’s offer was on paper. Part of the reason the Vikings weren’t willing to go further than that had less to do with the way Sam Darnold played in their final two games last year, than it did that they believe in their first round pick from a year ago, J.J. McCarthy, who would not have had an opportunity to compete for the job. Of course McCarthy is out today with a concussion, Daniel Jones is starting here in Indianapolis, Darnold is a Seahawk, Carson Wentz is on IR, welcome to the party undrafted rookie Max Brosmer.”

Tom Pelissero

It makes sense that Minnesota would be enamored with the rookie quarterback they invested a first-round pick in. The problem is that they badly misjudged his development. Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah operated as if McCarthy’s mental reps during rehab were meaningful indicators of progress. We’ve since learned that wasn’t close to the case.

Last season Darnold threw for 4,319 yards at a 66.2% completion rate, 35 touchdowns, and just 12 interceptions. Expecting anything close to that from McCarthy, especially coming off an injury, would have been unrealistic.

With a $32 million signing bonus, Darnold is making $37.5 million this season from the Seattle. He’ll collect another $27.5 million next year. The first real out in his deal doesn’t come until 2027, which made any one-year offer from Minnesota a non-starter.

If the Vikings truly wanted Darnold back on a one-year contract, they likely would have needed to exceed $40 million. Both Geno Smith and Brock Purdy are above that threshold, and meeting or surpassing it could have maintained continuity while buying McCarthy more developmental time.

At the end of the day, it mirrors the issue they ran into by refusing to guarantee Daniel Jones a starting job. The Vikings placed all their eggs in the basket of false hope regarding McCarthy, and their current 4-7 record shows just how badly that gamble burned them.