Last offseason, the Minnesota Vikings were faced with a conundrum. With their first-round pick quarterback, JJ McCarthy, fully healed, they had to choose between sitting their future and rocking with journeyman Sam Darnold or betting it all on the sophomore’s shoulders.
Everyone reading this knows they put all their chips in the McCarthy basket and let Darnold walk. While it was a polarizing move then, that scrutiny never lessened as Darnold helped the Seattle Seahawks to a 14-win season and eventual
Super Bowl victory.
When asked about the decision recently on the San Clemente Podcast, Darnold said he understood the decision from a business perspective, despite how much it hurt.
“I totally understand the move to go with a younger quarterback on a rookie deal and signing these veterans that you can pay a little bit more because he’s on a rookie deal, especially if you believe in him,” Darnold said. “I think JJ is a good player, I think he’s gonna be a really good player in this league. I truly believe that.”
While Darnold is admittedly making the decision sound easy, at the time, it wasn’t. He had just helped the Vikings win 14 games and the NFC North while throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2024. Those were numbers that he didn’t even surpass in his Super Bowl-winning season with the Seahawks.
Perhaps Darnold’s eventual ring helped him come to terms with the decision that put him on track to join Seattle, but it’s clear the ever-analytical quarterback harbors little ill-will toward the Vikings or McCarthy. With the past settled, Darnold will be tasked in 2026 with his toughest task yet: defending and repeating a Super Bowl title.
