Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or John Wolford

Tuesday, February 18, 4:25 PM

ESPN's Kevin Seifert reports that the Minnesota Vikings are in no rush to place the franchise tag on impending free-agent quarterback Sam Darnold despite his career year in 2024. It doesn't mean they won't eventually use it on the 27-year-old signal-caller, and it doesn't rule out the team giving him a multi-year extension. Another option is that the Vikings tag Darnold and then trade him for draft-pick compensation. Keeping Darnold on the tag in 2025 would cost Minnesota around $40 million, which would be a questionable decision with former first-rounder J.J. McCarthy (knee) waiting in the wings as the franchise QB. Seifert believes the most likely scenario is that the team lets Darnold sign elsewhere while saving the tag for a player like cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., who had a career-high six interceptions in 2024. Darnold set career-highs last year across the board but also had just one TD and a 53% completion percentage in the last two games.

Monday, February 17, 9:40 PM

The Jacksonville Jaguars signed quarterback John Wolford and wide receiver Louis Rees-Zammit to their active roster on Monday, the team announced. Wolford was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams last year but didn't play in any regular-season games before joining Jacksonville's practice squad in December. The 29-year-old has played in seven NFL games (four starts), dating back to 2020, with all of his action coming with the Rams. He's gone 61-for-104 for 626 yards with a touchdown and five interceptions. Wolford will merely give the Jags extra QB depth heading into the 2025 season. Rees-Zammit is a rugby player from Wales that was originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs last summer, but he was cut following the preseason before latching onto the Jaguars' practice squad. The 24-year-old had six carries for 24 yards in the preseason with the Chiefs.