Minnesota officially is on the clock.

Well, not that clock – the 2025 NFL Draft is 65 days away – but the clock to decide whether or not quarterback Sam Darnold will be given the franchise tag as the NFL's two-week window opened Tuesday.

In his seventh NFL season and first in Minnesota, Darnold revitalized his career, passing for 4,319 yards and 35 scores. The 27-year-old set records and effectively set himself up for a lucrative next chapter.

Right on cue, Alec Lewis of The Athletic on Tuesday weighed Darnold's future with the Vikings.

Lewis debriefed four potential outcomes and put on his general manager hat to rank them in order of least likely to most likely: 1) multi-year extension; 2) franchise tag; 3) transition tag; 4) test free agency.

On the foremost option, Lewis reminded that current Vikings brass has "long been hopeful that it could pair a promising young quarterback on a rookie contract with ample spending on the rest of the roster."

That plan can essentially be actionized if the team believes J.J. McCarthy is ready for the starting role in 2025. It's the largest reason why, according to Lewis, a long-term deal for Darnold doesn't make sense.

Of course, an alternate ending to Darnold's mostly stellar 2024 season could've been convincing enough.

Lewis elaborated: This conversation might have looked different had Darnold led the Vikings to a deep playoff run. He averaged four poor throws a game, according to a Pro Football Reference statistic tracking throws that weren't catchable with normal effort. He threw 23 poor throws in his final two games, and the Vikings lost both. This contrasts with Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, a frequent comparison point for Darnold. Both were highly drafted in 2018, and both floundered early in their careers. Mayfield thrived in 2023 and threw for 337 yards and three touchdown passes in a 2023 playoff game before signing a three-year, $100 million contract worth $50 million guaranteed.

In this scenario, Lewis deemed Darnold is more likely to be tagged, but said supplementing the roster at other positions, if Darnold is under the franchise tag, is too costly (the estimate is around $41 million for a QB on the franchise tag in 2025).

The idea of tagging then trading Darnold has a precedent. In 2009, the Patriots franchise-tagged Matt Cassel to retain his performance with Tom Brady sidelined by injury in 2008, but upon learning Brady would return that season, they dealt Cassel to the Chiefs for a second-rounder.

Lewis emphasized a franchise tag and trade is sensible only if McCarthy's rehab faces a setback – signs say his rehab is going well – or another team is willing to part ways with picks in exchange for Darnold.

As for the wisest approaches, per Lewis, the Vikings could opt to apply the seldom-used transition tag or bank on scoring a future compensatory draft choice by letting Darnold explore and walk in free agency.

Lewis explained the "transition" tag as a way for Minnesota to bide its time, as it would give the club the right of first refusal to any offer Darnold receives. Also, it's less expensive than the franchise tag (estimated at about $35 million for quarterbacks.). Lewis cited New England's application of it last year to safety Kyle Dugger.

On the latter, allowing Darnold to leave, Lewis concluded, "With a refreshed salary cap and drafted QB later, it's time to see if the rebuilding portion of the last few years can maintain the competitiveness."

There aren't guarantees. McCarthy showed promise last fall, but young quarterbacks come with uncertainty. The team's free-agent signings could cancel out any compensatory pick. Still, this is the most realistic route if the Vikings are still committed to their chosen path before 2024 (letting Kirk Cousins hit free agency to build an optimal roster around a young QB).

Read Lewis' complete article here.

Half-dozen Gophers earn Combine invite

Say hello to the largest cohort of Minnesota football players headed to Indianapolis.

The Star Tribune's Emily Leiker on Thursday noted that six Gophers were included on the league's list of 329 prospects invited to the ultimate proving ground at Lucas Oil Stadium, running Feb. 24 until March 3.

The six – quarterback Max Brosmer, wide receiver Daniel Jackson, offensive lineman Aireontae Ersery, defensive lineman Jah Joyner, linebacker Cody Lindenberg and defensive back Justin Walley – trumps the five that Minnesota sent to the event in 2001 and 2002, and it is the fifth-most invitees by a Big Ten school this year.

Only Ohio State (15), Oregon (12), Michigan (8) and Iowa (7) are sending more players to Indy this year.

Leiker provided snippets on all six, and went a little deeper on Ersery, the conference's Offensive Lineman of the Year, and Lindenberg, an Anoka native who is ranked first on the list for off-ball linebackers compiled by Mel Kiper, Jr.

On Ersery: He spent his entire five-year collegiate career at Minnesota, starting the final 38 games at left tackle. ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has Ersery as the seventh-best offensive tackle in this year's draft class; The Athletic's Dane Brugler has him No. 50 overall on his big board. Ersery was also a member of Bruce Feldman's 2024 "Freaks List" for the Athletic, where he was touted as having a 412-pound bench press.

Leiker shared that Lindenberg also was part of the Gophers program for five seasons and excelled in 2024, pacing the team in tackles after a hamstring injury the previous year severely limited his impact.

An outstanding combine could boost Ersery's stock and increase his odds of becoming the first Minnesota player since Rashod Bateman in 2021 chosen in the first round of a draft. Fifteen Gophers overall have been selected in the past five years; safety Tyler Nubin was the only one picked in 2024.

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