The various Minnesota Vikings quarterback conundrums over the years have been well documented. No situation has drawn more scrutiny than letting Sam Darnold walk in free agency after he enjoyed a career-best campaign in 2024.
The Seahawks promptly signed him to a three-year, $100.5 million deal. With one season in the books, the move looked like a smashing success. Darnold achieved the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl, and tore the heart out of Vikings fans’ chests in the process.
However, he hasn’t enjoyed nearly as much success this season. His nine interceptions are tied for second-most (with another former Vikings QB they let walk in 2025, Daniel Jones). Darnold has also already dealt with a few injuries, including a quad injury that will keep him out of Sunday’s game against Arizona.
Nevertheless, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio has questions about the most recent injury. He thinks Darnold’s reported ailment might actually be a guise for a soft benching.
“Is this cover for giving Drew Lock the chance to take the job away from Sam Darnold?” Florio said. “Sam Darnold has a passer rating south of 80 at 79.5. That is not good by today’s standards. If you’re south of 80 by today’s standards, you are in danger of a hard benching in today’s NFL.”
Some Believe Darnold This Might Be Darnold’s Last Season In Seattle
Darnold is under contract through the 2027 campaign, and many believe you don’t want your quarterback playing out the final year of his contract (unless you play for the Minnesota Vikings, anyway). Players don’t like doing it because there is no injury protection, while front offices don’t prefer it with the ever-increasing quarterback contract market.
Notably, Florio also mentioned he believes Darnold is on borrowed time in Seattle. He might be looking for another team in March.
“He’s got that contract that is one year at a time. They could’ve gotten out of it after 2025. They can get out of it after 2026. The way they do these three-year contracts, basically, they have to make a decision after 2026,” Florio said. “Based on what we’ve seen so far this season, I don’t think he’ll be the guy next year.”
The Vikings Have Yet To Figure Out The QB Position, Though
All things considered, it’s hard to feel truly good about the situation the Vikings find themselves in. Sure, opting not to re-sign Darnold might’ve been for the best, but Kyler Murray has proven to be a far worse answer at the position.
To make matters worse, the Vikings shipped the only quarterback under contract beyond this season, J.J. McCarthy, out of town last month. While it’s still far too early to dissect that decision, it’s worth noting that McCarthy wasted no time resurrecting a New York Giants season that once looked dead in the water.
McCarthy has thrown for 495 yards in five quarters, while Murray has thrown for 1022 over six starts. Sure, revisionist history comes into play there, as McCarthy fell flat on his face in Minnesota, but the onus to pick him up was on O’Connell. Clearly, he had untapped potential that is being realized in New York.
As it stands now, Murray has been ruled out of Monday night’s game against Buffalo with a hamstring injury, and some believe he might’ve fallen victim to a soft benching of his own.
Rumors are swirling whether the Vikings could improve the quarterback position ahead of the trade deadline, and they’ll certainly be in the market for another signal-caller next offseason if they don’t.
Still, when it comes to Darnold and Murray, the grass looks pretty dull on both sides of the fence.
Latest Details Surrounding Sam Darnold Indicates Vikings Might’ve Made Right Call