Sam Darnold might be available to New York Giants … or he might not be

Vikings won’t tag Darnold, but still might re-sign the quarterback

The Minnesota Vikings will not franchise tag quarterback Sam Darnold, but there is still a possibility that Darnold will not be available to the quarterback-needy New York Giants in free agency.

NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that “there is still a chance” Darnold, who had a career year for Minnesota in 2024, returns to the Vikings.

Jordan Schultz reported that Darnold and the Vikings “have been in discussions about a short-term deal to keep him in Minnesota. There is mutual interest from both sides.”

The 2025 quarterback franchise tag is $40.241 million. Spotrac has estimated the 27-year-old Darnold’s market value at four years, $160.494 million, almost exactly the contract the Giants gave Daniel Jones after the 2022 season.

Whether the Giants would be willing to pay Darnold that kind of money is uncertain. Darnold’s career has followed a similar arc to Jones’s, one good season at the right time allowing him to capitalize financially after several mediocre to poor ones.

The Giants, who have only Tommy DeVito on their roster at quarterback, have already been aggressive in the quarterback market. They tried and failed to trade for Matthew Stafford and have been linked to Aaron Rodgers as a potential free agent signing.

Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons and Russell Wilson of the Pittsburgh Steelers could also be veteran options for New York, but whether or not either will be available has yet to be determined.