Minneapolis (AP) – The Vikings du Minnesota will probably let their quarter-back leaving to define the Nfl Free agent market for a Second consecutive off -season.
The Vikings have succeeded in the opportunity to place the franchise label on Sam Darnold before the League deadline on Tuesday, maximizing their options to strengthen the list and potentially at the first time the choice of Pro Bowl with each team when the free agency opens next week.
Does that seem familiar? Although some of the circumstances varied, the Vikings mainly did the same thing a year ago by refusing to re-sign Kirk cousins.
The franchise tag is a lever that a team can use each off -season to keep a key player on a contract expired to leave while buying time for a more in -depth assessment of a long -term agreement, but this one -year arrangement has a high fixed price according to the highest wages of this position group. For Darnold, it would have been between $ 35 million and $ 41 million for 2025, depending on the type of tag. Applying the label and trying to execute a profession would also have been a risky route for the Vikings, given the likely desire for a buying team to conclude a longer -term agreement.
With the Vikings looking at several areas for improvements Despite a season of 14 wins in 2024 And already developing a precious young quarter to JJ McCarthy, the wage ceiling space protected by their decision to let Darnold arrive on the market will greatly contribute to their attempt to replenish for another race in this elusive Super Bowl.
This does not mean that Darnold has certainly left, given his success under The winner of the AP Coach of the Year Kevin O’Connell return in minnesota Appointment more than a higher salary elsewhere, but like cousins a year ago, it would be necessary to be at a price that always allows Vikings to improve other positions. When the Falcons of Atlanta guaranteed $ 90 million for cousins during its first two seasons, they were released.
With around 20% of the quarter-back League leaving this spring and a much thinner recovery class than the 2024 group which presented six first-round choices, Darnold at 27 who came out of a better career performance will not get a pregnancy agreement. The Raiders of Las Vegas, the Titans du Tennessee and the Giants of New York are three teams in particular a quarter-arre with a large wage ceiling space.
The Vikings were busy weighing if it is worth being put on the continuous progression by Darnold in a second season under O’Connell while McCarthy obtains another to watch and learn after having spent his recruit year in reserve injured in recovery of a meniscus torn in the right knee.
The season of small groups of Darnold was attenuated by his performance against a heavy rush towards the losses against the Lions of Detroit for the seeded n ° 1 in the NFC and the Rams of Los Angeles In the wild round of the playoffs. The more the Vikings also keep a quarter of a veteran at the salary at the starter level, the less they can benefit from McCarthy on a recruit level contract. The Vikings would also be online for a compensatory draft choice in 2026 if Darnold was to sign elsewhere this year.
“I had an excellent dialogue with Sam from the moment when this season ended until very recently, and I think that my relationship with Sam has reached a point where the level of respect is high,” O’Connell told NFL scouting last week combined with Indianapolis. “Sam is in a position where the NFL thinks that it can play the quarter to a high level, so it is a very good thing and I am very proud to be part of the AID to reach this point. We will see a little where it goes from here.
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Source: job
