Sam Darnold completed an unlikely journey of becoming a Super Bowl champion when the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots. He did so in his first year with a new team after the Minnesota Vikings moved on from him during the offseason. His former teammate blasted them for their decision on the quarterback, despite his success with the franchise.
Vikings Called Out for Controversial Decision To Move On From Sam Darnold
Darnold began his career with the New York Jets as a prized prospect drafted in the first round. He ultimately failed to lock down their long-term quarterback job and essentially became mostly a journeyman backup afterward.
He then did enough to earn a shot at being the Vikings’ starting quarterback for the 2024 NFL season, and he responded by posting an impressive 14-3 record. Apparently, it wasn’t enough for him to get a contract extension in Minnesota, so they let him walk in free agency.
Another former Vikings quarterback, Nick Mullens, who backed up Darnold in Minnesota, recently discussed their decision to move on from him. He explained why he didn’t understand their assessment and overall decision to let him go.
“Man, to win 14 games in the NFL and not know if you’re good enough? That’s brutal. Like, what do you want, undefeated?” questioned Mullens.
The Vikings entered the final week of the 2025 season with an excellent 14-2 record but were defeated by the Detroit Lions, losing the NFC North division title. They then lost again in the following week during the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs, ending a promising campaign with a massively disappointing two-game stretch. Mullens talked about the impact of this situation.
“It was not only Sam’s fault. To say that two weeks before those games, he was a top-desired, top-dollar free agent, and then he plays two bad games after winning 14, and then he’s, a ‘I don’t know if he truly is the guy or not.’ To go from that high to that low, I think, is an unfair judgment,” explained Mullens.
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He speculated that if not for the disastrous finish last year, Darnold likely would have been among the hottest names in the free agent market. It may also have convinced the Vikings to keep him in Minnesota, but they instead went with the unproven J.J. McCarthy.
In the end, their gamble appears to have epically backfired on them. The Seahawks seem to be the ultimate winners of their botched decision as they are now the Super Bowl champions. The Vikings missed out on the playoffs altogether, and McCarthy finished the year ranked 37th among 48 quarterbacks in PFSN’s Impact Rankings for this season.
