This offseason the Minnesota Vikings opted against sticking with Sam Darnold, or giving Daniel Jones the reigns. While they made thinly veiled attempts at retaining both , the reality was that the presence of J.J. McCarthy ultimately decided their course .
There was never a world in which the Vikings were going to hand Darnold a contract like the one Seattle did . However, they certainly put their best foot forward to show him how much they wanted him this season.
After the Minnesota Vikings used a first round pick on J.J. McCarthy , it was cemented that they would turn over the position. However, he missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury , and after Sam Darnold orchestrated a 14-win season , they clearly wanted to run it back.
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The Vikings made a similar offer to Sam Darnold as the Seahawks did this past offseason, per @TomPelissero . pic.twitter.com/2P00ifrUTu
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) November 30, 2025
"The Vikings did not simply let Sam Darnold walk. My understanding is they actually made a pretty similar offer to Sam Darnold to the one that he ultimately accepted, three-years $100.5 million with the Seahawks. Now, it was only a one-year commitment, as Seattle's offer was on paper. Part of the reason the Vikings weren't willing to go further than that had less to do with the way Sam Darnold played in their final two games last year, than it did that they believe in their first round pick from a year ago, J.J. McCarthy, who would not have had an opportunity to compete for the job. Of course McCarthy is out today with a concussion, Daniel Jones is starting here in Indianapolis, Darnold is a Seahawk, Carson Wentz is on IR, welcome to the party undrafted rookie Max Brosmer."
It makes sense that the Vikings would be enamored with the rookie quarterback that they spent a frist round pick on. The problem is that they could not have gotten the evaluation of his development more wrong. Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah operated in a way that showed belief his mental reps held weight. We have seen that's not close to the case.
Last season Darnold threw for 4,319 yards at a 66.2% completion rate . He had 35 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. That sort of outcome from McCarthy, especially coming off an injury, would have been otherworldly.
With a $32 million signing bonus, Darnold is making $37.5 million this season from the Seahawks. He'll also get another $27.5 million next year. The out in the deal wasn't until 2027, and that made any one-year offer from Minnesota a non-starter.
If the Vikings truly wanted Darnold back, and especially on a one-year deal, they would have needed to go above $40 million. Both Geno Smith and Brock Purdy are above that threshold , and it could have kept continuity while allowing for certainty from McCarthy.
At the end of the day, it's largely the same issue they faced in not telling Daniel Jones he would be the starter . All of the eggs were placed on false hope with regards to McCarthy, and the Minnesota Vikings 4-7 record shows how bad they were burned.
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