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Sam Darnold was supposed to be nothing more than a stopgap for the Minnesota Vikings while JJ McCarthy studied the game before a sophomore breakout. But the rookie got his knee destroyed and had to sit out, so the situation changed dramatically.
The former third overall pick is surrounded by very prolific weapons for the first time in his career as a starter and backed up by a monstrous defense. He finally got to have a taste of winning, setting career-higns in almost every statistical category and breaking the record for most wins by a quarterback in his first season with a new team en route a 14-3 record and playoff appearance.
That led veteran sportscaster Colin Cowherd to claim that he would be more reliable than Lamar Jackson on The Herd:
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However, during the aforementioned playoff appearance on Monday, Darnold crumbled, throwing an interception and eating seven sacks, one of which caused a fumble that Jared Verse returned for a touchdown. That led to widespread mockery, with one tweeting:
"He should be fired lmao wtf"
More reactions followed:
"King of bad football takes," one jeered.
"He also said darnold is better than hurts this year," another remembered.
"Fire him for his awful takes," another demanded.
Franchise tag could keep Sam Darnold in Vikings
After the season ends, the Vikings will have a very difficult decision to make regarding Sam Darnold. While he has unquestionably been good, they already have JJ McCarthy tabbed as the future face of the franchise. And there is also Daniel Jones, who is looking for redemption after a very turbulent career as a New York Giant.
They could let him leave in free agency, which is his preferred option. Or they could extend him for cheap, which can prove shrewd - just as Baker Mayfield did when he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But there is a third option, one that, according to USA Today’s Nate Davis, makes the most sense: the franchise tag. He opines that it ensures that Darnold does not leave for well below the market rate of a Pro Bowler and is guaranteed, at minimum, the biggest payday he has ever had – around $40 million, and that is just the minimum (incentives and bonuses will be added to the contract).
If the Vikings don’t intend to retain him, they can get a good package of players and or/draft picks in return - for instance, if someone else gets Darnold to sign an offer sheet and general manager Kewsi Adofo-Mensah does not match it, they get two first-rounders.
