The 8 Teams in the Sam Darnold Sweepstakes: An Early Peek

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) is pressured out of the pocket and forced to run during the second quarter an NFL football matchup Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Vikings defeated the Jaguars 12-7. © Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold signed a one-year deal with the purple team eight months ago, while general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafted Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy six weeks later.

The 8 Teams in the Sam Darnold Sweepstakes: An Early Peek

No one is too sure if Darnold will return to the Vikings in 2025 — it’ll be a popular debate topic when the 2024 regular season ends.

Generally speaking, though, as Darnold has rekindled his career in the Twin Cities, these are the eight most likely landing spots, at least initially, for Darnold next season.

8. Miami Dolphins

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Remember, the Dolphins will forever be one concussion away from needing a quarterback. As grim as it sounds, Darnold could be an option for Miami if Tua Tagovailoa retires due to repeated head blows.

Otherwise, Miami could also explore Darnold as a high-end QB2 — insurance for Tagovailoa.

7. Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen speaks Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, during a post-game press conference at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The Colts defeated the Ravens in overtime, 22-19. © Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK.

The Colts will likely stay committed to Anthony Richardson — they should — and the current QB2, Joe Flacco, is old.

Darnold wouldn’t necessarily start in Indianapolis, but he’d be a marvelous QB2 option for a franchise with an injury-prone QB1 that it isn’t totally in love with in the first place.

6. Cleveland Browns

Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images.

Cleveland is already paying Deshaun Watson mucho dinero, reducing the odds of Darnold ending up with Kevin Stefanski’s team. However, if Jameis Winston vamooses this offseason, the Browns will need another startable backup plan because, well, Watson isn’t very good.

That could be Darnold, and he’d be in good hands with Stefanski, a former quarterbacks coach for the Vikings.

5. Las Vegas Raiders

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The start of the “bridge quarterback” options, Las Vegas could ink Darnold in March to patch him over to a rookie that the Raiders draft in April.

Las Vegas is virtually guaranteed to draft a quarterback, and if that guy needs a few games to acclimate — see: Drake Maye in New England this season — Darnold would be up for the task.

4. Tennessee Titans

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) pressures Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) on a throw in the second half at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. © Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.

Will Levis still has plenty of time to develop into a startable NFL quarterback, but will the Titans have the patience?

Tennessee may seek a high-end backup in 2025 or cut bait with Levis altogether. That would make Darnold a solution from two angles — insurance for Levis or a bridge quarterback to a passer drafted in April.

3. New York Giants

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images.

The Giants released Daniel Jones on Friday, a stunning development considering he was the QB1 solution after defeating Minnesota in the playoff less than two years ago.

Like Minnesota this year, New York will likely invest high-round draft capital in a quarterback and then desire a veteran to show that man the ropes.

Darnold would be a wise fit, and he’d basically do for the Giants in 2025 what he did for the Vikings in 2024.

2. Los Angeles Rams

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports.

If Matthew Stafford retires after this season — that’s a real possibility — circle Darnold as the number-one-with-a-bullet-option to take over in Los Angeles.

If the Vikings offense can cook with Darnold at QB1, so can the Rams’. Kevin O’Connell and Sean McVay are basically the Spider-Man meme here.

Darnold could also venture to Los Angeles as Stafford’s backup and heir apparent. This one makes too much sense.

1. Minnesota Vikings

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images.

Should Darnold not find a ginormous payday on the open free-agent market, his safest bet is to return with the Vikings and be one step away from QB1 if another injury besets J.J. McCarthy.

His first season as a Vikings has played out pretty damn well, and this Vikings front office loves to hedge its bets. Darnold returning on a $15 million or so price tag in 2025 might be the likeliest outcome as of late November.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.