Sam Darnold and Chase Young are among the 2025 free agents who can earn money over the course of the NFL Season 24

Oh, there were moments when disaster seemed imminent for Darnold. Weekly turnovers continue to bother the QB, who led the league with 14 points on Friday. In the past, such slip-ups would have exposed Darnold – but now he plays through them and mostly overcomes them. He turned the ball over once in the two losses the Vikes suffered. The 13 further ball losses led to victories.

It’s impossible to see Darnold in Kevin O’Connell’s offense without seeing a completely different quarterback than he appeared to be just two years ago. He’s comfortable and confident, more patient in the bag and willing to move through his reading more quickly, and he doesn’t let the tide rattle him. Darnold appears to be the latest in a line of young quarterbacks, particularly those who were drafted into wayward franchises and cast aside far too quickly by much of the NFL.

The stats back up the film – and it’s not like he’d be compiling such hollow numbers if he were committing a dink-and-dunk offense. Entering Friday, Darnold’s above-expected completion percentage (+5.8%) ranked second in the NFL among those with more than 200 pass attempts (behind Jalen Hurts’ mark of +7.3%). He ranked fourth in yards per attempt (8.3, with Hurts and Derek Carr), first in air yards per attempt (9.1, with Jordan Love and Brock Purdy) and second in air Yards per completion (7.3, behind). Purdy’s 8.1) and ranked eighth in passer rating (101.7). His 20 great throws ranked tied for fourth with CJ Stroud, according to Pro Football Focus.

After six squadrons lost at sea, Darnold finally found the right ship. O’Connell took advantage of the QB’s arm strength while giving him simple answers to the test. It’s a dream matchup for the signal caller (and there’s certainly hope for former Giant Daniel Jones, another discarded former first-round pick who landed on the Vikings’ practice squad this week).

Now Darnold has to finish the job. At 9-2, the Vikings are all set for a quarterback who has resurrected his career in Minnesota after initially serving as a bridge to rookie JJ McCarthy. The road ahead remains daunting, however, as five of the Vikings’ last six games have come against teams with current records of 6-5 or better, including a recent two-week matchup against Green Bay and Detroit.

There’s no denying that the former No. 3 overall pick has improved his standing in league circles. He confirmed all the supporters who stood by his side and made doubters change their minds. But the next phase of its trajectory remains up in the air. As one of many players heading into free agency in the spring, how he finishes the remaining six weeks of the season (and perhaps into the playoffs) will play a central role in how he finishes the free market is included. Will the 27-year-old convince a team that he can be the long-term solution? Could this implosion come in December and force him into another placeholder deal somewhere?

With Darnold in mind, let’s take a look at five players whose final six weeks of the season could lead to them making money on the open market in March, based on who has the best upside.

But first, let’s clear up a few self-imposed boundaries before we get to my list. Players must be impending free agents. I didn’t include anyone who was in the top 15 of Gregg Rosenthal’s list of projected best free agents in 2025 – anyone who made it there had already been paid after a strong performance in 2024. And I didn’t take multiple players into account at the same position (we don’t need a whole list of experienced WRs).