Sam Darnold is either this season’s Geno Smith or Baker Mayfield. Whether comparing him to another former Jet who found his groove after a strong backup stint or a fellow first-round quarterback from the 2018 draft who once was his teammate, Darnold’s star play for the Vikings has been the league’s latest surprise QB turnaround story.
Darnold was headed to win the starting job over rookie first-rounder J.J. McCarthy, but he turned out to be the only viable option in Minnesota when McCarhty was lost for the season with a knee injury before Week 1.
There was a hint that Darnold, only 27, could do well with the Vikings’ combination of offensive-minded head coach Kevin O’Connell and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, his good friend from his Jets days. His solid backup turn for the 2023 49ers earned him this shot on his fourth team.
Likewise, his work with the Vikings in 2024 as a pending free agent in 2025 should either keep him in Minnesota a while longer (less likely) or land him another No. 1 gig elsewhere (more likely). Here’s looking at Darnold’s current contract in Minnesota and how much he can earn now on his next deal on a potential fifth team.
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Sam Darnold contract details
Darnold signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Vikings on March 13, as the team decided to move on from Kirk Cousins and wanted to have a veteran contingency for a near-future first-round draft pick, which turned out to be McCarthy.
Darnold got a $6.25 million signing bonus with $8.75 million guaranteed at signing. That was a considerable raise from the previous one-year deal he signed with the 49ers in 2023 for $4.5 million ($3.5 million guaranteed at signing).
When he was taken No. 3 overall by the Jets in ’18, Darnold got a four-year deal all-guaranteed at $30.25 million for an average annual salary of $7.56 million.
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Sam Darnold contract projection
Darnold has Smith and Mayfield as two recent models. However, Smith and Mayfield re-signed with the teams on which they saved their careers.
Smith, at 32, after playing well taking over a traded Russell Wilson in 2022, got a three-year, $75 million deal in 2023 with $40 million guaranteed. Mayfield got his shot with the Buccaneers in ’23 after a short time with the Rams following his Panthers fizzle in the same QB room as Darnold.
Mayfield went from signing for one year at $4 million to getting a three-year, $100 million deal in ’24 with $50 million guaranteed. Getting that deal at 28, Mayfield got a 33-percent bump from what Smith did, as both thrived under the offensive influence of Dave Canales.
McCarthy is expected to be back at full health in 2025, as he avoided a major long-term knee injury with a torn meniscus. The Vikings could follow suit of a similar Falcons offense on delay with the Kirk Cousins-Michael Penix Jr. plan, continuing to start Darnold while McCarthy gets his full year of true physical development. The Vikings have that flexibility with a ton of projected salary-cap space for next year.
But they also won’t get Darnold for the same price and would need to give him at least three seasons in a new deal with a big annual salary boost and significant guaranteed money. Although they won’t be paying top market value for Darnold, much like the Seahawks with Smith and the Buccaneers with Mayfield, they also can take advantage of McCarthy’s rookie contract to fill their key roster holes as a 5-1 team bound for the NFC playoffs.
The Falcons have the Cousins-Penix combination. The related Rams offense should still be led by Matthew Stafford in 2025. But there will be several other teams looking for QBs, ranging from the Titans (with Brian Callahan) and yes, the Canales-led Panthers (again).
Darnold should be looking at a three-year deal worth a little less than Mayfield (around $95 million), with a shot for more than $50 million guaranteed. Given his younger age, Darnold should prefer four years with more guaranteed money, perhaps up to $124 million. That puts him getting a little more than $30 million a season, for an average annual value a little more than Smith but a little less than Mayfield.