Matthew Stafford decided to compromise And stay on the Rams of Los Angeles. Now, the sources of the league provide for a similar result with the Vikings of Minnesota and Sam Darnold, which can be faced with a lower set of free agency options.
Several sources that spoke with Yahoo Sports following the conclusion of the NFL screening combination – including a handful of team leaders and agents with interest in the quarter -back market – believe that Darnold will not have the market for robust free agents which was planned for a large part of its 2024 escape season. Darnold’s best option will be to determine a one or two year contract with the Vikings for 25 to 30 million dollars per season, giving both parties the opportunity to conclude a new agreement in the offseason or for Darnold returning to the free agency in 2026.
“You might think that supply and demand are on the quarter-rear side this offseason because there are really not enough good to go around, but the landing points are not really very attractive,” said an eminent NFL agent in a story of making big quarter-arre. “I think the Darnold market is much softer than people think, and its best configuration will stay in Minnesota another year.”
Two directors general shared a similar opinion, showing the end of Darnold in the season as having a scary effect which could be corrected with another strong year in Minnesota.
In this spirit, this is how sources have shaped Darnold’s potential destinations…
Stay with the Vikings?
There was a certain uncertainty about the place where the Vikings 2024 QB JJ McCarthy are in its process of rehabilitation of intersane surgeries to repair its meniscus – including the weight loss which occurred following this repair. However, a source said that McCarthy has already improved its weight and should be available for the intersection and ready to leave in June. Despite this, the Vikings left the door open for a potential return from Darnold to a short -term economic agreement that would give the franchise another year of track to assess Darnold and McCarthy. This option would only materialize if Darnold’s free agency options are low.
A source believes that Darnold could be in Minnesota on an agreement of $ 25 million fully guaranteed. Another thought that it could be an agreement of $ 60 million over two years with money guaranteed also the second year, but not enough to remove the Vikings option by exchanging or cutting Darnold the next offseason if the team wants to move in another direction.
Although there are still a lot of speculation injected into Darnold to return to Minnesota, which is clear is that it is legitimately a viable option.
An unknown team like … the Seahawks
Two league sources believe that it is possible that the Las Vegas raiders can continue a business for the Seahawks QB Geno Smith after having withdrawn Stafford. This would bring together Smith with the Raiders head coach, Pete Carroll, and would open a quarter to Seattle, potentially putting Darnold at stake for the Seahawks.
It is an intriguing scenario that comes out of two developments: first, the raiders lacked on Stafford and then had a low interest in Darnold; And second, the NFL teams now work knowing that Darnold has not been labeled and will indeed be an unrecognized free agent. This last point is important, because it is possible that some teams did not have a legitimate interest in Darnold until they know that they were really going to hit a free agency. Now that it is a real option on the table, it could lead a team like Seattle or another unknown club to reassess its own quarter room … and potentially make a player available for calls.
Bouettes on raiders?
As I said in the aforementioned section, it has been reported that the interests of the raiders for Darnold is not as strong as it was speculated, two league sources progressing a potential trade for Geno Smith as on the radar.
Little clarity on the steelers
Currently, the Steelers seem more likely to give Justin Fields a quarter -term quarter agreement, although Fields can go elsewhere if he sees a clear path to a starting work. But there is no consensus according to which Darnold is at the top of the list of priorities of the Steelers.
The giants look like their game
It is the only intriguing team that could end up being Darnold’s landing point, if he is ready to live the New York football experience again.
That said, there is a lot of noise around the giants at the moment. I heard that they wanted to aggressively pass to N ° 1 Global choice for Cam WardBut I also heard that Russell Wilson became a rescue option after the Giants were not won in Matthew Stafford, and that there is still interest in Darnold. When you also consider their reasonable diligence on Aaron Rodgers, it is starting to feel as if each available quarter is tied to its giants.
The despair of winning a quarter who can win games immediately and energize the franchise is real. If the giants do not find a path to write Ward, it could be there that Darnold obtains the QB franchise agreement which was expected during last season.
Titans
This should be an option for Darnold, but no one thinks that titans are ready to pay the eruption money for none of the Vétéran quarterrière options. Instead, they would begin to consider options in the bottom of the Specter of the QB contract, which would be in the range of 25 to 30 million dollars. If this is where the Vikings are ready to land on a short -term Darnold agreement, Darnold would have to move away from Minnesota for a worse situation in Tennessee.
Brown
Cleveland is short of the salary ceiling as much as possible. I do not see how it could work, even if the Browns wanted Darnold rather than taking a quarter-arre recruit in the draft.
The jets
After the last round, I think Darnold is more likely to present for New York dishes than to be a quarter of the jets again.