Free agency spells the final reveal of the much-anticipated fate of numerous big-name players across the league. However, none of those players have quite as much anticipation surrounding their future as Minnesota Vikings‘ quarterback,

His preseason torn meniscus scuttled those plans and Darnold went on to have a great and surprising year. There are no guarantees that Darnold would be able to repeat his success in 2025, and if the Vikings were to bring him back, his $10 million salary would likely rise to the $35-40 million level.

The Minnesota Vikings have one final way to protect themselves from making a drastic decision at quarterback. Instead of signing Sam Darnold to a standard contract or franchise tagging him, they could use the transition tag.