Sam Darnold says he has no hard feelings about Minnesota moving on after a 14-3 season in which he started for the Vikings. The Seahawks quarterback said in an appearance on The San Clemente Podcast that he understands why the team chose to go with a younger quarterback on a rookie deal.
“I totally understand the move to go with the younger quarterback on a rookie deal, and signing these veteran players that you can maybe pay a little bit more while he’s on his rookie deal, especially if you believe in him,” Darnold said. He added, “Yeah, the business side of it, I totally understand.”
Darnold’s comments land with some force because Minnesota spent the 2024 season building around him, then turned to J.J. McCarthy after trading up from No. 11 to No. 10 to draft him. Darnold also said he believes the rookie is the right kind of player for that job. “I think J.J. [McCarthy] is a good player. I think he’s going to be a really good player in this league. I truly believe that,” he said.
The Vikings also tried to keep Daniel Jones, but he went to the Colts and became QB1. The decision to pivot away from Darnold was not made in a vacuum. Minnesota has not won a playoff game since 2019, and coach Kevin O’Connell is 0-2 in the postseason, so the franchise had pressure to pick a direction and stick with it.
Darnold’s own story helps explain why the Vikings could move on. After a Week 18 game at Detroit raised questions about his ability to deliver in the biggest moments, Minnesota had to decide whether to commit to him in a way that might have kept McCarthy on the bench too long. Darnold later signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seahawks that included a one-year out, with a first-season base package of $37.5 million and a salary of $27.5 million this year.
That leaves Minnesota with a bet on McCarthy and Darnold with a fresh start in Seattle, where he already has a Super Bowl ring from his first season there. For the Vikings, the choice was less about gratitude than timing, and Darnold’s reaction suggests he knows exactly how the league works when a team thinks it has found its next quarterback.
