2025 NFL free agency: What to like, not like, about QB Sam Darnold

The New York Giants are in desperate need of a quarterback. It may behoove general manager Joe Schoen to take multiple kicks at the can to rectify this persistent issue that’s plagued the Giants for the better half of a decade.

Former New York Jets’ castaway Sam Darnold is arguably the most desirable free-agent quarterback. Darnold had a career year, throwing for 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with a Big Time Throw Rate of 5.6%. The 27-year-old added 212 yards on the ground with one rushing touchdown and eight fumbles.

Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record, and conversations about extending Darnold’s longevity with the franchise started to percolate the airwaves in Minnesota; this was especially profound because the Vikings spent their first-round selection on Michigan quarterbackJ.J. McCarthy, but the rookie tore his meniscus in the preseason and missed the season.

However, ghosts from Darnold’s past appeared in his final — and most important — two games of the season. The Vikings had a chance to earn the number-one seed in their Week 18 games against Detroit; the winner took the one seed, and the loser lost home-field advantage and assumed the fifth seed.

Darnold was pressured 33 times by Detroit and looked rattled for most of the game. He finished with just 166 yards passing. He finished with a season-low 4 yards per pass attempt. The Lions beat Minnesota, 31-9.

He threw for 245 passing yards in the Vikings’ 27-9 Wildcard loss against the Los Angeles Rams. Again, he looked uncomfortable as the Rams’ potent young pass rush pressured him 43 times.

His two final performances may have cost him millions of dollars. This could work to the advantage of the New York Giants, who should not break the bank for a player like Darnold. I like Darnold. He has talent and the raw physical traits to be successful. He proved that with Kevin O’Connell, Justin Jefferson, and Jordan Addison in 2024, but there’s not a consistent enough track record to pay Darnold $55-plus million a year.

However, with the Vikings’ untimely demise — which many lay at the feet of Darnold — he’ll likely be available at a much more discounted rate. Let’s review some of Darnold’s tape to showcase his potential and the throws in his repertoire.

Positives

Anticipation/ball placement

This third-and-8 conversion against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2 highlights two elite traits that Darnold does showcase, albeit it’s not always consistent: anticipation and ball placement.

The still image shows Darnold start to throw as Jalen Nailor (83) reaches the 45-yard line — the catch was made at the 30-yard line. Darnold does an excellent job processing this defense and understanding Nailor’s relationship to the coverage.

It’s a smash/seam to the field side against a Cover-2 defense, with Trent Sherfield Sr. (11) running the fast three-motion as the corner route, which pulled Isaac Yiadom (22) toward the field side. Yiadom flips his hips inward, giving Nailor more space up the seam. Darnold did an excellent job processing this error and seeing the two safeties split into their deep-half responsibilities.

Darnold released the football before Nailor turned to locate it and placed it on Nailor’s back-hip, away from Yiadom’s leverage and the boundary safety, who had more of a direct path to the catch point. The timing, vision, anticipation, and ball placement on this pass are perfect.

Darnold threw Addison (3) open on this deep crossing route. Justin Jefferson (18) motioned to stack on Addison, who then released inward against the Cover-3 defense. Jefferson’s motion expanded linebacker Jack Sanborn (57) enough to give Addison a free release while the play action occupied the eyes of the other box defenders.

T.J. Edwards (53) did a good job getting underneath the backside cross (Addison), which forced Darnold to throw Addison open while blanketed over the top by the safety and underneath by Edwards. The throw allowed Addison to secure the catch and run the tight rope up the sideline through a poor safety tackle attempt. Quarterbacks enabling receivers to maximize yards after the catch are desirable, and Darnold did that often in 2024.

Darnold does an excellent job under center off the play action to find Jefferson deep. His ability to navigate the pocket and use his mobility to extend the play is showcased here.

The pocket management, ability to avoid the high-side rush and step into the B-gap, and throw on the run were all impressive, but the ball placement was sensational.

Through contact and while moving, Darnold lofted the ball over top of the underneath defender and right into Jefferson’s outside shoulder. This ability to throw away from defensive leverage is invaluable. Darnold was able to do this fairly consistently throughout the year, but, as we’ll see later, pressure is the catalyst to Darnold’s demise.

Far hash/velocity

Darnold does a good job resetting the pocket on this double move to Addison against man coverage. This is an anticipatory pass from the far-hash that went for 20 yards and a touchdown. Darnold felt the high-side pressure off the under-center play action pass. I appreciate how he found safety within the pocket and did not panic. The throw was solid and he allowed Addison to run underneath it.

Darnold showcased velocity on tape throughout the season, but there weren’t many far-hash connections outside the numbers on routes like comebacks or curls. I don’t believe this was due to an insufficiency on Darnold’s part but rather just the style of O’Connell’s offense. Darnold finished 34 of 71 (48%) on throws outside the numbers (near and far) between 10 to 20 yards.

The throw against the Falcons above is a great representation of touch and velocity. Jefferson’s motion drew the underneath defender and forced a switch, which allowed Addison to gain more separation, especially with his outside stem at the line of scrimmage. Still, the Falcons’ defender got into Addison’s hip well, so Darnold had to place the ball high and outside, but on the fringes of Addison’s radius, yet not too far out of bounds. Again, Darnold did an elite job with his ball placement.

Darnold quickly gets the football out of his hand to Addison for a touchdown. This is another FANTASTIC job by O’Connell to set up this easy score from the far-hash. Jefferson motions inward to shift A.J. Terrell (24) inside of Addison, who has a six-yard cushion against Dee Alford (20). Alford’s hips orient to Jefferson, giving Addison ample space to succeed outside; Darnold hit his back foot, saw the leverage, and fired the football to the front pylon for the score.

Touch/timing

Another well-timed throw from Darnold that is reminiscent of Russell Wilson’s teardrop pass. Atlanta is in Cover-3 and Darnold confirmed the safety rotation over Jefferson, which meant a one-on-one matchup for Addison to the field side. However, safety Jessie Bates (3) is one of the better safeties, and Clark Phillips III (22) is a solid cornerback, albeit he allowed Addison to stack him.

Darnold released the football before getting hit and put it inside and away from Phillips III, yet was still able to beat Bates. Darnold’s hips/eyes before the football was released were one reason for the success of this pass, as well as the trajectory that allowed Addison to lean inward to the top of the numbers. Darnold’s ability to keep Addison on the numbers and away from Bates while still avoiding Phillips III was excellent.

Darnold quickly confirmed the one-on-one matchup with Jefferson and Colts’ cornerback Samuel Womack III against a middle-of-the-field closed defense. Jefferson easily created separation off his release, and Darnold lofted the football over the top of the cornerback, allowing Jefferson to run underneath and secure the football at the 10-yard line.

Negatives

Like most quarterbacks, pressure haunts Darnold. Exotic blitzes and the ability to hit him early and often throws his timing, rhythm, and ball placement off, and this was apparent in his final two games of the season.

The Vikings went for this fourth-and-short touchdown attempt down seven in — what was — a slow-starting game that ended 31-9, Lions. Darnold could not find an answer on this play, nor could he find many in Detroit in this pivotal Week 18 matchup. We see Addison open at the top of the screen with a beautifully designed rub against man coverage. I’m not in the huddle — obviously — I’m in a mildly comfortable computer chair watching tape. Yet, I have to imagine Addison and Darnold have the understanding to complete the pass if an opportunity presents itself before Addison breaks to the back pylon.

The rub designed by the Vikings worked perfectly off Addison’s initial inside stem. Nailor occupied both defenders, and Addison broke to the front pylon wide-open. Darnold confirmed man coverage, did not attempt the pass, and tried to take advantage of the one-on-one to Jefferson to the opposite side. I will rarely critique a quarterback trying to leverage the skills of Justin Jefferson, but Addison is wide-open on a got-to-have-it-play.

I just have to imagine that the double-move was secondary to the pick’s success, and Darnold could have had the option of hitting Addison out of his initial break; if that’s the case, this was easy points, but Darnold did not trust his eyes, and the Vikings turned the football over on downs; plus, Darnold missed Jefferson high and away.

When Darnold is hit often, he tends to hold onto the football too long and not see his options or go through his progressions as effectively as he tends to do when kept clean. This manifested against the Rams on third-and-8.

T.J. Hockenson (88) was sitting about two yards ahead of the sticks in Darnold’s vision. Los Angeles did a great job covering the middle of the field, which removed the two in-breaking routes for Darnold. After the motion, the No. 3 receiver was wide open on the out-and-up, which was a miss, but Darnold also had an easy completion to Hockenson available.

We see him drop his eyes and look indecisive, unconfident, and rattled when multiple options are available in a key situation. Herein lies the issue with Sam Darnold. He has yet to display a consistent ability to overcome pressure.

Final thoughts

I don’t mind the idea of Sam Darnold on a discount, but it would have to be a reduction of his rumored value before Week 18. He signed a one-year, $10-million contract with Minnesota last off-season. Some outlets have projected him north of $55 million a year; I believe it will be less than that now.

His market value on Spotrac.com is $40.1 million average annual value over four years — essentially, the Daniel Jones contract. Darnold has more talent than Jones and better tools to work with, but I’m unsold that Darnold is the solution to rectify the Giants’ long-standing problems at the position.

I prefer the Giants go with cheaper options via free agency and the draft rather than spend up at the peak of a player’s value who is best known for inconsistency and faltering when the lights are brightest. I like Darnold, just not at this price, which appears to be his market.