Report: Raiders Interested in Acquiring Sam Darnold from Vikings…
The deadline for teams to place franchise or transition player tags on pending free agents is this coming Tuesday at 3:00 PM Central time. While the Minnesota Vikings have not made any public indication that they might use the tag on quarterback Sam Darnold, there is a team out there that is reportedly interested in acquiring Darnold’s services. . .if the rumors are to be believed.
According to longtime NFL insider Tony Pauline, the Las Vegas Raiders could be interested in bringing Darnold aboard, particularly after Matthew Stafford chose to re-do his deal with the Los Angeles Rams. Per Pauline, sources “close to Darnold” that the Raiders and their new head coach, Pete Carroll, will attempt to make a move to acquire Darnold from the Vikings before he hits free agency.
Greg Newsome, Minnesota Vikings
Now, again, we’re into “silly season” in the National Football League, so take this with as much salt as you can handle without spiking your blood pressure. But if the Vikings, who currently have just four picks in the upcoming NFL Draft, want to try to get something for Darnold this year rather than wait for a 2026 compensatory third-round pick, it might behoove them to try to work something out with the Raiders or another club.
Darnold is considered to be, by far, the best quarterback available in free agency this year. With most experts being pretty low on this year’s quarterback class from a draft perspective, it might be an opportunity for the Vikings to get something for Darnold if they can find a quarterback-needy team to make a deal with them.
Greg Newsome, Minnesota Vikings
Do you think that the Vikings can get something done with another team to move Sam Darnold ahead of the start of free agency? Do you want them to go that route?
Report: Raiders working to trade for Vikings QB Sam Darnold..
With Matthew Stafford’s future with the Los Angeles Rams secured, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is once again the belle of the ball ahead of free agency. The clock is ticking for the Vikings to find a trade suitor before the franchise tag window closes on March 4. If Minnesota cannot find a trade partner, they will likely refuse to tag Darnold and let him walk to what is expected to be a competitive free agency. Fortunately for the Vikings, Stafford
Greg Newsome, Minnesota Vikings
staying in Los Angeles has put the pressure on teams to make a move for the 27-year-old quarterback — including the Las Vegas Raiders. Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline reported on Saturday that Raiders head coach Pete Carroll is pushing to trade for Darnold. “After losing out on Matthew Stafford, what will the Las Vegas Raiders do next? … People close to Sam Darnold tell me that Raiders coach Pete Carroll will work to make a move to acquire the quarterback from the Vikings,” Pauline wrote. “As has been reported elsewhere, Minnesota is seriously considering a tag-and-trade option with Darnold, similar to what the Packers did with Davante Adams just a few years ago before the Raiders acquired the receiver.” Pauline noted that there are rumors Las Vegas could try to trade up for a quarterback with the No. 6 overall pick. However, it’s a thin quarterback draft class that may only see Cam Ward selected in the first round —
Greg Newsome, Minnesota Vikings
and there are many more teams desperate for a quarterback. The New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts and Raiders are all teams that have been linked to Darnold in some fashion ahead of free agency. Carroll has stated that he does not want to have a warm-up period in his tenure with the Raiders and wants to win now. “Y’all wondering about timelines and stuff like that. It took us a few years to get to the very top of the last couple of programs I was with,” Carroll said in his introductory news..
Greg Newsome, Minnesota Vikings
conference. “We’re starting right now going for it immediately. We don’t have some timeline five or six years down the road. That’s not what we’re thinking. We’re going to start right now. We’ve got to go after it and build this team as quickly as we can.” The rookie quarterback route could be a counterintuitive move for Carroll considering his goal to be competitive now. A handshake deal must be done before 4 p.m. ET this Tuesday so the Vikings can apply the franchise tag to Darnold.
