Vikings Fans And Players Aren’t Handling Sam Darnold’s Super Bowl Run Well
The Chicago Bears have made plenty of bad decisions at the quarterback position over their long history. However, somehow the Minnesota Vikings may have them beat with just one. Sam Darnold wasn’t supposed to be the starter in 2024. However, an injury to J.J. McCarthy thrust him into the lineup. Darnold responded by winning 14 games while throwing for 4300 yards and 35 touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl. Despite all of that, his lackluster performance in the playoff loss to Los Angeles convinced the Vikings it was best to move on.
Just over a year later, Darnold again won 14 games, this time with the Seattle Seahawks. Again, he topped 4,000 yards, along with 28 touchdowns. There was no longer any doubt. The idea that he was a byproduct of the Vikings’ QB-friendly system had been debunked. Despite everything he’d been through, the kid had realized his potential. Now he is headed to the Super Bowl for a chance to win his first ring. Let’s just say Vikings fans and even players aren’t handling that news well.
Sam Darnold might be the worst QB abandonment in NFL history.
For some time, many felt that the title belonged to Baker Mayfield. The Cleveland Browns had watched him elevate the team to the playoffs and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card round. Then he gets hurt. Rather than do the normal thing and stick with him, the Browns sent him packing while trading for Deshaun Watson. Mayfield eventually ended up in Tampa Bay, where he revitalized his career, playing like an MVP. Yet what the Vikings did was somehow even worse.
Sam Darnold had a case for being the best quarterback in the NFL last season. He was playing that well at times. Minnesota saw all of that and decided McCarthy, who’d proven nothing, was worth the risk. That has to be the all-time greatest fumble in modern history. The Vikings were punished with a down season and massive questions about their future at quarterback. Yes, the Bears missed out on Patrick Mahomes, but nobody knew if he’d be any good at the time. Darnold is so much worse.