Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is unlikely to be franchise-tagged ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Minnesota still is interested in working to re-sign Darnold, but it is likely to be without any tag, the sources said.
Darnold, 27, blossomed in the Vikings’ scheme last season, with coach Kevin O’Connell‘s careful guidance, leading the team to 14 wins after winning a total of 21 games in his previous six seasons. He ranked fifth in the NFL in passing yards (4,319) and touchdown passes (35) while earning his first career Pro Bowl invitation.
Darnold, however, appeared to hit his ceiling at the end of the season. His final two starts were his worst, as he threw a combined 23 off-target throws and took 11 sacks as the Vikings lost games to the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams (in the playoffs) by a combined score of 58-18.
The Vikings signed Darnold in 2024 as insurance for their plan to draft their quarterback of the future. Darnold’s primary job was to give the team an option good enough that they would not be forced to play that quarterback, who turned out to be J.J. McCarthy, until he was ready.
Darnold, however, had a strong training camp and was in line to be the Vikings’ Week 1 starter even before McCarthy suffered a season-ending torn meniscus in his right knee during the preseason opener.
The No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 draft, Darnold spent three seasons with the New York Jets, two with the Carolina Panthers and one as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers before signing with the Vikings in what was widely viewed as his final opportunity to prove he could be an NFL starter.
He has passed for 16,383 yards with 98 touchdowns and 68 interceptions in seven NFL seasons.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert contributed to this report.
