Ex- NFL scout claims Sam Darnold ‘at minimum’ will get $100,000,000 contract in free agency

Former NFL scout John Middlekauff believes Sam Darnold will get a hefty contract in free agency. Darnold signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 and played well as he led Minnesota to the playoffs. However, he didn't play well in the final two games which many thought would impact his free-agent market.

Yet, John Middlekauff, who used to be a scout for the Philadelphia Eagles, believes Darnold will earn $100 million in free agency. He said on "The Colin Cowherd Podcast" on Sunday (24:50):

“I still think, at minimum, he's going to get a Baker Mayfield three-year, $100 million-type contract. … I mean, his team was 60 minutes away from the No. 1 overall seed, and he played a massive role in that.

"So, I think you have to be careful, I think that game exposed a little bit when he starts getting blitzed he starts you know, I don't want to say seeing ghost, but he's come a long way since then.”

The Mayfield contract does seem like a fairly comparable deal for Sam Darnold, given both are former top prospects who found their footing on a different team that drafted him.

Darnold signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Vikings and still could be franchise-tagged. Darnold went 361-for-545 for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Vikings will have ongoing dialogue with Sam Darnold

With Sam Darnold set to hit the open market, Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said the team will continue to talk to the quarterback.

Despite having J.J. McCarthy on the roster, Darnold led the Vikings to a playoff spot and played well, so O'Connell said they will continue to have discussions.

"Look, you guys know how I feel about Sam," O'Connell said, via NFL.com. "He is a guy that we identified last year as somebody who could come in and be successful, and really, no matter where he was at before he arrived in his quarterback journey, it was about maximizing our time together. And I think we did that, and I think it was a very special year for Sam.

"What that earned him is, everybody in our league now thinks he's a bona fide, legitimate starting quarterback in our league and can win a lot of football games. He won 14 of them, so he's earned the right to be a free agent, but we will continue to have ongoing dialogue and discussions with him and his representation."

Sam Darnold was named a Pro Bowler in his first season with the Vikings.