Sam Darnold News: Unlikely to get franchise tag

The Vikings aren't expected to place a franchise tag on Darnold, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Darnold broke through with a career-best season in 2024, registering a 35:12 TD:INT while throwing for 4,319 yards and completing 66.2 percent of his pass attempts over 17 regular-season games. However, he struggled in a Week 18 loss to the Lions that cost Minnesota a first-round playoff bye, throwing for just 166 yards, then had a subpar performance in the team's NFC wild-card loss to the Rams, throwing for 245 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Darnold joined the Vikings on a one-year contract last March, so he's slated to be a free agent and has drawn interest from the Giants and the Raiders, among other teams. However, Schefter notes that Minnesota remains interested in re-signing Darnold.