Sam Darnold’s awful late-season performances for the Minnesota Vikings over the weekend may not have killed his value in free agency to the degree many think.

On Wednesday, Bleacher Report NFL insider James Palmer claimed executives around the league don’t believe Darnold’s market has changed all that much after two bad weeks of football.

“I talked to an executive in the AFC, an executive in the NFC yesterday and they told me the same thing, there are too many quarterback-needy teams out there to have his market dramatically change even after these two games,” Palmer said. “They both told me probably the perception of his turnaround has been altered more than his market. And it’s because there’s more teams and there’s fewer quarterbacks.”

Palmer explained the incoming quarterback draft class being perceived as weak helps Darnold’s market as well, and that he’s still likely to be the top free agent signal-caller available.

Darnold was named to his first Pro Bowl this season after leading the Vikings to a 14–3 record. He completed 66.2% of his passes for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns, all career-high marks. The 27-year-old also hit career highs in passer rating (102.5) and QBR (60.7).

The issue comes with his final two performances of the season. Against the Lions in Week 18, Darnold went 18-of-41 for 166 yards, with no touchdowns and was sacked twice in a 31–9 loss. He had similar struggles during Minnesota’s 27–9 wild-card round loss to the Los Angeles Rams. In that game, Darnold completed 25-of-40 passes for 245 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a fumble that was returned for a touchdown while being sacked an NFL playoff record nine times.

Darnold was a great comeback story during the 2024 season, but he didn’t finish on a high note. That may not impact him in free agency the way many believed.