Why Did the Vikings Give Up on Sam Darnold? Details of Minnesota's Brutal Quarterback Decision
Sam Darnold put up a career-best season in 2024 for the Minnesota Vikings, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdown passes to go along with an impressive quarterback rating of 102.5.
It was Darnold's first season with the Vikings and, somewhat surprisingly, his last.
With the 28-year-old Darnold once again thriving this season all the way to Super Bowl 60 for the Seattle Seahawks, things aren't exactly looking too sharp from the lens of Vikings fans, a team that has not appeared on the NFL's grandest stage since 1977.
Why the Vikings Chose J.J. McCarthy Over Sam Darnold's Proven Success
The Vikings took J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but a brutal right knee injury in the preseason caused him to miss the entire year, thrusting the door wide open for Darnold to pounce on the starting opportunity.
Obviously, that's exactly what he did in a big way, as the Vikings finished the season with a 14-3 record, essentially putting the franchise in a tough spot given Darnold's pending free agency and expected big payday heading into the 2025 offseason.
Ultimately, Minnesota decided to pin its long term quarterback plans on prized top draft pick, McCarthy, rather than opening up the vault to pay Darnold, who landed a three-year, $100.5 million contract with the Seahawks.
At the time, it certainly didn't hurt that McCarthy is five years younger and significantly cheaper than Darnold, despite the 23-year-old out of Michigan having yet to take a snap in the regular season.
However, a quarterback coming off a knee tear like the one McCarthy suffered was hardly something to gloss over and, unfortunately, the injury bug would bite him multiple times in 2025, as he ended up starting just 10 of Minnesota's 17 games.
How Did Sam Darnold Fare at Quarterback in 2025 When Compared to J.J. McCarthy?
Whether you're looking at team success or individual success, it would be mission impossible to come out of either one and think the Vikings made a great decision by letting Darnold sign with the Seahawks.
The Seahawks were the NFC's No. 1 seed in the playoffs and are in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.
The Vikings, despite winning their final five games of the season, finished at 9-8 and missed the playoffs altogether.
While playing seven fewer games, McCarthy was right there with Darnold in the one category no quarterback ever wants to be in — interceptions.
- J.J. McCarthy in 2025 (10 games): 1,632 yards, 11 TDs, 12 INTs, QB rating of 72.6
- Sam Darnold in 2025 (17 games): 4,048 yards, 25 TDs, 14 INTs, QB rating of 99.1
Yes, it's impossible to predict the future, especially in the NFL.
However, it's rather difficult to imagine a scenario that could have turned out any worse than it did for the Vikings.
All they got were memes. Endless memes.
Steph Curry didnt even realize JJ McCarthy was right there. ???????????????? https://t.co/ArQCXh2e7L pic.twitter.com/tAJBRKqI8U
— Bracco (@PlayBracco) February 6, 2026
Should the Seahawks win Super Bowl 60, all it does is add extra gas to a fire that has been lit for months.
Darnold winning Super Bowl MVP would truly be the ultimate nightmare scenario for Vikings ownership and front office, and of course their fans too.
Front Office Fallout For the Vikings Following Sam Darnold's Season in Seattle
Just days after Darnold went off in the NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns, the Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah despite having signed a new contract last offseason.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said this yesterday about letting Sam Darnold walk.
— Casey Halpern (@CaseyHalp) January 30, 2026
24 hours later, the Vikings fired him.
Cold business.pic.twitter.com/XmDc54cbJh
"There's those nights where you wake up and stare at the ceiling and ask yourself [about decisions like McCarthy over Darnold]," said a reflective Adofo-Mensah a day before getting fired.
Unfortunately, the dismissal of Adofo-Mensah led to all sorts of narratives, from poor draft picks in his four-year stint as GM, to some media members leaning on the fact that he took two weeks of paternity leave for the birth of his son in 2023 as a possible factor in the reasoning for said dismissal.
Regardless, with or without Adofo-Mensah, the Vikings are already facing an abundance of questions about McCarthy and his injury issues as they head into a pivotal offseason, particularly what they end up deciding to do when it comes to NFL free agency.
With rumors of a possible reunion with 37-year-old Kirk Cousins now circulating, it already has the feel of Bill Murray waking in Groundhog Day to more of the same.
Darnold's Journey From New York Jets Misery to Super Bowl 60 With the Seahawks
Tom Pennington/Getty Images
The New York Jets took Darnold as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
And this might sound pretty familiar, but the quarterback situation did not work out for the Jets.
After three subpar seasons in New York, the Jets were relatively quick to turn the page on Darnold — who was still only 23 years old at the time — and traded him to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a sixth-round pick, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick.
However, things hardly got better in his move south, with Darnold's "best" season in Carolina topping out at nine touchdown passes to 13 interceptions.
It was only in the 2023 offseason where Darnold's crucial career pivot would begin, signing a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers to be the backup quarterback for Brock Purdy.
Despite only appearing in 10 games with one start, Darnold has frequently credited his time in San Francisco with Purdy and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan as a huge reason for his unforeseen turnaround:
"Brock [Purdy] helped me a ton," Darnold said. "With certain things of how to prepare and even just watching him play. Just how he processes on the field and all those certain things ... And then the other thing. Is how he prepared. I say this all the time, but I give Brock a ton of credit in showing me the ropes that way. He showed me so much in how to prepare and how to study ... They [the 49ers] taught me so much about playing good football, and I'm forever thankful for my time there."
By all accounts, he apparently left quite an impression with the 49ers too, with many of his former star teammates like George Kittle showing support, stating that while they will not be rooting for their division rival Seahawks, they will be rooting for "wonderful human being" in Darnold.
That list also includes four-time Super Bowl champion and 49ers royalty, quarterback Joe Montana:
"I look at what he's [Darnold] been through," Montana said. "The last two teams he played for he's won 28 games. With all he's been through, I'd like to see him win."
It would probably be challenging for Darnold to get a more special, ringing endorsement than that one.
Super Bowl 60 between the Seahawks and Patriots is slated to kickoff on Sunday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC, with Cris Collinsworth and Mike Tirico on the call.