Oh, there have been moments where catastrophe looked imminent for Darnold. Weekly turnovers continue to plague the QB, who entered Friday tied for the league lead in giveaways (14). In the past, such gaffes would have unraveled Darnold — but now, he’s playing through them, most times overcoming them. In the two losses the Vikes suffered, he’s turned the ball over once. The 13 other turnovers came in victories.
It’s impossible to watch Darnold in Kevin O’Connell’s offense and not see a completely different quarterback than he appeared to be even two years ago. Comfortable and confident, he’s more patient in the pocket and willing to get through his reads faster, and he isn’t rattled by the blitz. Darnold seems to be the latest in a line of young quarterbacks, particularly those drafted into wayward franchises, tossed aside far too fast by much of the NFL.
The stats back up the film — and it’s not as if these are the kinds of hollow numbers he might compile if he were operating a dink-and-dunk offense. Heading into Friday, Darnold’s completion rate over expected (+5.8%) ranked second in the NFL among those with 200-plus pass attempts (behind Jalen Hurts‘ mark of +7.3%). He was tied for fourth in yards per attempt (8.3, with Hurts and Derek Carr), was tied for first in air yards per attempt (9.1, with Jordan Love and Brock Purdy), was second in air yards per completion (7.3, behind Purdy’s 8.1) and ranked eighth in passer rating (101.7). His 20 big-time throws were tied for fourth, with C.J. Stroud, per Pro Football Focus.
Finally, after six seasons lost at sea, Darnold found the right ship. O’Connell has taken advantage of the QB’s arm strength while giving him easy answers to the test. It’s a dream pairing for the signal-caller (and it certainly provides hope to ex-Giant Daniel Jones, another discarded former first-round pick who landed on the Vikings’ practice squad this week).
Now, Darnold must finish the job. With the Vikings sitting at 9-2, it’s all in front of a quarterback who has revived his career in Minnesota after initially appearing to be a bridge to rookie J.J. McCarthy. However, the road ahead remains daunting, with five of the Vikings’ last six games being against teams currently sporting records of 6-5 or better, including a final two-week gauntlet against Green Bay and Detroit.
It’s undeniable that the former No. 3 overall pick has revamped his standing within league circles. He’s validated any supporters who stuck by his side and made doubters reconsider. But the next phase of his trajectory remains up in the air. As one of many players headed toward free agency in the spring, how he finishes over his six remaining weeks of the season (and, perhaps, into the playoffs) will play a central role in how he’s received on the open market. Will the 27-year-old convince a team he can be the long-term solution? Might that implosion come in December, forcing him into another deal as a placeholder somewhere?
With Darnold in mind, let’s look at five players whose final six weeks of the season could lead them to paydays on the open market in March, ranked according to who has the strongest opportunity.
But first, let’s clear up a few self-imposed boundaries before we get to my list. Players must be impending free agents. I included no one who was in the top 15 of Gregg Rosenthal’s list of projected top free agents in 2025 — anyone who made it there was already bound to get paid following a strong performance in 2024. And I did not include multiple players at the same position (we don’t need a whole list made up of veteran WRs).
