Before the 2024 NFL season kicked off, the Minnesota Vikings were nowhere in sight when it came to naming the best teams in the league. Yet, by the time the season was winding down, the Vikings were in play for the No. 1 seed in the NFC Playoffs.
Of course, the Vikings ended up losing their last regular season game, and that downward spiral continued in the Wild Card Round, where the Los Angeles Rams eliminated them.
Despite having such a great season, now the Vikings are being looked at as a team that could trade one of their Pro Bowlers coming off a career year.
Related: 8 Sam Darnold landing spots this offseason
Minnesota Vikings may be waiting on Sam Darnold trade market
How does a team that went 14-3 last season improve for the next year? Typically, teams don’t start by trading away one of their best players or their starting quarterback.
Yet, the Minnesota Vikings could be on the verge of doing just that this offseason.
According to ESPN’s Vikings insider Kevin Seifert, the Vikings likely aren’t looking to retain Darnold via the usage of the franchise tag. However, they could be waiting to see if the trade market plays out for their Pro Bowl quarterback.
“My understanding is that for now, as far as the franchise tag is concerned, the Vikings are going to sit tight. There’s no real incentive to tag Sam Darnold at the start of the window. It will be open until March 4. It doesn’t mean they’ve ruled it out. It also doesn’t mean they won’t eventually sign him to a multi-year deal. But the key here will be whether the Vikings become aware of a potential trade market for Darnold. If there is, they can execute what’s known as a tag-and-trade. In that scenario, Sam Darnold walks out of the building, but this time for draft pick compensation.”
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert
The NFL's franchise tag window opens today. Sam Darnold is certainly an option for the Vikings, but there is no rush. From last night on @SportsCenter… pic.twitter.com/ElxlRAJ8VB
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) February 18, 2025
With so many teams desperate to upgrade at the quarterback position, the Vikings shouldn’t have trouble finding a trade partner. The question then becomes whether it would be more worth it for Minnesota to trade Darnold now or wait and recoup the potential compensatory draft pick compensation in 2026.
Yet, since the compensatory pick formula caps out with a maximum return of a third-round selection, the Vikings already have a strong idea of which bar needs to be cleared. In other words, teams will likely have to offer more than a third-round pick to secure Darnold via trade.
Related: 5 Minnesota Vikings offseason moves to bounce back in 2025
