THE Minnesota Vikings have made their final major decision on Sam Darnold’s future.
The quarterback was in the final year of his contract with the NFL team and impressed throughout the 2024 season.
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The Vikings have now made the decision not to place a franchise tag on Darnold.
The team had the opportunity to place a tag on him up until the afternoon on Tuesday.
If Darnold had been tagged it would have set him up for a one-year deal with the Vikings.
The deal would have cost $40.42million unless a new long-term agreement was made between the two before the July 15 deadline.
The 27-year-old will now test the free agency from March 12, which could see him joining any team that is interested.
He and his agent can start negotiating with teams from March 10 during the “legal tampering” period.
Darnold only signed for the Vikings during the spring of 2024.
He helped the side to a 14-3 record while on his one-year $10m contract in Minnesota.
Tom Brady has been tipped with an interest in bringing Darnold to the Las Vegas Raiders.
NFL important dates 2025 season
March 12 – Free Agency begins
April 24-26 – NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin
September 4 – 2025 season opener (TBC vs Eagles)
November 27 – Thanksgiving Day triple header
January 4, 2026 – End of regular-season
February 8, 2026 – Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California
The NFL legend is keen to sign a star quarterback to his Raiders roster ahead of the 2025 season.
Reports had claimed that Darnold was one member of a three-man shortlist that Brady had drawn up.
Only two teams have used their franchise tag this offseason.
The franchise tagging of a player entitles them to 120 per cent of their previous salary.
The Cincinnati Bengals used a tag on receiver Tee Higgins while the Kansas City Chiefs tagged Trey Smith.
Higgins will back $26.18m during the upcoming season while Smith will earn $23.4m.
