Sam Darnold's likely departure opens up the starting quarterback job for the Vikings in 2025. The franchise is not prepared to hand it to former first-round pic

The New York Giants released Jones half of a season into his four-year, $160 million contract, of which $92 million was guaranteed. All that money in his pocket, plus a relatively lucrative rookie deal as the No. 6 overall pick in 2019 and the need to rebuild his value all lend to Jones coming in at a reasonable price.

The NFL Scouting Combine has come and gone, and with it, new rumors and projections have emerged. One thing that has started to emerge is the Sam Darnold situation is coming very close to ending one way or another for the Vikings. With it, the team can start to focus on building out the rest of this roster.

The Minnesota Vikings reportedly want to re-sign Sam Darnold but won't use the franchise tag to retain him, multiple media outlets reported on Monday.

Instead of simply filling in, Darnold delivered the best season of his career, putting up MVP-caliber numbers and leading Minnesota to a 14-2 record. Now, the Vikings must decide whether to roll with McCarthy, who lacks NFL experience, or reward Darnold with a lucrative deal and keep him as the starter.