Minnesota Vikings signal-caller Sam Darnold ended his 2024 campaign with back-to-back bad games. However, he remains the top quarterback headed to market because of his age (27), arm talent, mobility and recent Pro Bowl-level production.

A return to Minnesota could make sense, as 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season following knee surgery. If the Vikings aren’t prepared to hand the keys to the Michigan product, they may want to keep Darnold around via a new contract or the franchise tag.

Either option would be expensive, though. The 2025 tag value for quarterbacks is projected to be $39.6 million. Darnold’s projected market value sits at $40.1 million. Minnesota may balk at that price point for what is likely to be a one-year bridge.

If Darnold departs for a QB-needy team with cap flexibility, the Las Vegas Raiders would make a ton of sense. They need a long-term answer behind center, might not find one with the sixth pick in the draft and have $93 million in projected cap space.

Only the New England Patriots, who have their quarterback in Drake Maye, have more projected cap space than Las Vegas.

“At Pick 6, [the Raiders] are out of range for a quarterback unless they move up, which wouldn’t be smart based on the amount of holes they have,” an unnamed NFL personnel executive told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Darnold would also mesh with the blueprint of new head coach Pete Carroll, assuming he looks to replicate his Seattle Seahawks formula. The 2018 No. 3 pick has the physical tools to be a high-end game manager and an occasional playmaker, one who can complement a strong running game and defense.

Carroll could look to reunite with Russell Wilson, though there’s no guarantee he won’t re-sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Darnold is also much younger than Wilson (36) and performed better in 2024. He’s a stronger long-term option, and the Raiders can’t bank on drafting their QB of the future this year or next.

Prediction: Las Vegas Raiders