Sam Darnold piled up stats this season, charmed the fanbase and probably earned himself a nice payday in the process. But will he get it from the Vikings?

The Minnesota Vikings went from a Super Bowl contending, 14-game winner playing for the NFC North title with the conference's No. 1 seed and a wild-card bye on the line -- before Week 18's 31-9 defeat by the Detroit Lions -- to an early playoff exit because of a 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Quarterback Sam Darnold will likely be the next NFL quarterback to make a lot of money in free agency. The Minnesota Vikings have a tough decision to make in the months ahead after their lopsided NFL wild-card round exit on Monday night on whether to keep Darnold or let him go.