INDIANAPOLIS — As he talked with reporters on Tuesday afternoon at the 2025 NFL Combine, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell beamed with pride when reflecting on everything veteran quarterback Sam Darnold had accomplished in Minnesota.
A heavy emphasis on accomplished.
Though he didn’t confirm that the Vikings were, in fact, turning the page, O’Connell spoke in the past tense a number of times, almost as if he had slowly started the process of moving on from the quarterback who helped his team win 14 games last season.
Darnold, 27, is set to become a free agent next month.
“He’s in a position where the NFL thinks he can play quarterback at a high level,” O’Connell said. “That’s a really good thing. I feel very proud to be a part of helping him get to this point. Now, we’ll see where it goes from here.”
It was a similar tone from general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as he tried to sum up what Darnold meant to the Vikings during a memorable regular season that was, in the end, soured by a disaster in the playoffs.
“He played a lot of good football for us,” Adofo-Mensah said. “We’re excited about the potential for Sam wherever that ends up being.”
After signing a one-year, $10 million contract with Vikings in free agency, Darnold vastly outperformed his price tag while steadily rewriting the narrative on his career. He helped the the Vikings put together an improbable 14-3 record and completed 66.2 percent of passes for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns in the process.
At first glance, the Vikings would seem foolish to move on from that type of production, especially given how impressive Darnold looked at various points under the tutelage of O’Connell.
On the other hand, Darnold crumbled under pressure during a 31-9 loss to the Detroit Lions in the regular season finale — with an NFC North title, No. 1 playoff seed and first-round bye on the line — and then struggled mightily during a 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the playoffs.
“When we did the move originally, we wanted to create optionality, and part of the optionality was believing in a guy who was young and talented, and believing in our infrastructure and the things we can do with quarterbacks,” Adofo-Mensah said.
“Now we’re in a position where we have options, and we’ll continue to work those options and figure out the best way for the Vikings to move forward.”
Free agency officially begins March 12, and there are a number of options the Vikings have at their disposal. That includes signing Darnold to a multiyear contract extension, letting him go to market or, maybe most interesting, placing the franchise tag on him. The deadline to do that is March 4.
If the Vikings decide to place the franchise tag on Darnold, they could do so with hopes of trading him to the highest bidder. That could help them ensure they get something for him rather than lose him for nothing.
The biggest unknown there, of course, is whether they’ll find a willing trade partner. That’s why it wouldn’t be surprising if the Vikings are on a fact-finding mission this week at the Combine. Leadership from all 32 teams is in attendance at Lucas Oil Stadium, and Minnesota needs to determine if any team would be willing to give up an asset in exchange for Darnold’s services.
Those conversations could go a long way toward shaping who plays quarterback for the Vikings moving forward.
“We’re evaluating the short term and long term aspect of it,” O’Connell said. “It’s still early in the offseason process, and ultimately we’re excited about what lies ahead.”
Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
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