What's the latest buzz about Sam Darnold?
A report Saturday from the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama suggests that the Minnesota Vikings still haven't come to a decision about Darnold, but they could use a fairly rare tactic with Darnold before free agency begins March 10.
"The Vikings have not yet made a firm determination on Sam Darnold's future with the team. His strong play this season has caused them to pause and take a hard look at their options," writes ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
"Bringing him back feels like a stronger possibility than it was five or six months ago. But the Vikings will have a cap on spending here," Fowler continued. "Some agents have argued that Darnold shouldn't take a penny less than Daniel Jones' four-year, $160 million deal with the Giants from two years ago. Teams have suggested Darnold getting something more in line with Baker Mayfield's contract (three years, $100 million). In the end, perhaps the transition tag ($35.3 million) makes the most sense."
What's the transition tag?
It's similar to the franchise tag as it's a one-year, fully-guaranteed contract for a pending free agent.
Like players who are franchised-tagged, players who are on a transition tag can negotiate with other teams. If another team makes an offer, the Vikings would have the right to match it. If the Vikings decline to match the offer, off Darnold goes to a new team and that team doesn't owe Minnsota any compensation.
The transition tag gives Darnold more flexibility than the franchise tag because franchise-tagged players are highly unlikely to receive offers from other teams because an outside team that signs a franchise-tagged player has to give the original team two future first-round picks.
The transition tag is also cheaper than the franchise tag, with 2025 estimates coming in at $41.3 million to franchise tag quarterbacks compared to $35.2 million to transition tag quarterbacks.
The transition tag has only been used six times in the NFL in the past decade. Three of those six players wound up getting offers from other teams, and only one of those situations resulted in the team that used the transition tag not matching the offer to keep the player.
Darnold passed for more than 4,300 yards with 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, but he folded under relentless pressure against the Lions to end the regular season and again versus the Rams in Minnesota's first-round playoff loss.
If the Vikings don't tag Darnold or sign him to a multi-year extension, the 2025 quarterback in Minnesota could be J.J. McCarthy's job to lose.
