A dream season for the Minnesota Vikings ended on Monday night with a 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Despite winning 14 games in the regular season, Sam Darnold and the Vikings will be watching the divisional round from their couches along with the rest of their players.
And Darnold is at the center of the biggest problem facing the team.
He had an incredible regular season performance that opened the door for him to be the team's franchise QB, but what we've seen over the last two weeks is that the Vikings have moved on from him. It was a reason to leave and turn to JJ McCarthy. What about the 2024 first round pick?
That seems like the perfect question for a football court.
Why the Vikings should move on from Sam Darnold — Mark Schofield
It can be difficult to file a lawsuit within the four walls of a courtroom. The law may not be on your side, so you have no choice but to argue the facts. The facts may not be on your side, so you have no choice but to argue the law.
Neither may be on your side, so all you can do is bang on the table, make a fuss, and hope that's enough to convince someone.
There is no need to raise your voice today.
All you have to do is point out the Minnesota Vikings' final two games of the 2024-2025 NFL season. In Week 18 against the Detroit Lions, with the NFC North title and No. 1 seed in the conference on the line, Darnold completed 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards and no touchdowns, a 50 percent completion rate. It went below. , NFL passer rating 55.5, QBR 17.4
Minnesota lost that game 31-9.
In the wild card game against the Los Angeles Rams, Darnold completed 25 of 40 passes for 245 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, giving him an NFL passer rating of 77.6. Is his QBR in that game? 13.6.
Minnesota lost that game 27-9, ending a dream season.
There's no denying that Darnold's 2024 season is a great story overall. Darnold, brought to Minnesota as a quarterback option following the departure of Kirk Cousins, was forced to sit out after first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury. . A script straight out of a Disney hall followed, with Darnold leading the Vikings to 14 wins and having a season that could lead to NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors.
But the past two weeks have also shown a tough ceiling for Darnold to lead. The ghosts that haunted him during his time with the Jets in New York are back, and instead of the confident passer we saw earlier this year, we have a QB who is afraid to take chances and struggles to connect with open receivers. And then there was the QB he finally kept. His attack is back.
If you take a step back, there's also the larger context of the NFL right now. This includes the incoming QB draft class, which probably has more questions than answers, and as is often the case, teams need help at QB more than they have draft or free agent options.
While all of this was unfolding, McCarthy was essentially given a redshirt rookie season to rehab. He will prepare for the 2025 campaign after one year of study.
Darnold deserves nothing but praise for what he's accomplished this season, but what we've seen over the past two weeks is that the Vikings should appreciate Darnold this past year and move in a different direction heading into 2025. There is sufficient evidence that there is.
Why the Vikings should keep Sam Darnold — James Deiter
Emotions are running high after the loss in the wild-card round, but Monday night's collapse was more about a failure in protection than a bad game by Sam Darnold. It's important to remember that as we move forward.
Many expected this team to be the worst team in the NFC North by a wide margin in 2024, and they defied all expectations. It happened because of Darnold, and tossing him out now would be like trading a cow for a handful of magic beans like that stupid Jack.
Darnold finished the 2024 regular season with 4,319 passing yards, 35 TDs, and 12 INTs. These are not numbers that can be easily reproduced. Just because Darnold can slip into Kirk Cousins and seamlessly recreate Kirk Cousins doesn't mean lightning will strike the same way again. This is a case where the bird in hand is worth spending on him.
The Vikings have a solid, proven 27-year-old player who can run their offense and have success without a quarterback, even though so many teams in the NFL are in dire need of one. is in a rare position to support Played well enough to win. He has a great relationship with Justin Jefferson and the Vikings receivers this season, and that means he can continue to build on that for continued success.
It's understandable to think about change when JJ McCarthy waits in the wings, but the assumption that McCarthy will be different than Darnold doesn't work. Does anyone really believe he can step up and become a 4,000+ yard passer? Essentially, you're relying on the intangibles of leadership that may not emerge in the NFL, and you already have the talent to work within that system.
The Vikings need to re-sign Darnold, trade McCarthy to a team in need of a QB, and fill a myriad of holes, especially on defense. The only person hurting in this losing streak was Sam Darnold and his bank account. That means his price is lower than the $50 million-plus that was advertised heading into Week 18.
The Buccaneers were smart enough to realize Baker Mayfield was the best fit for them instead of moving on after a year. The Vikings should realize the same thing. The grass isn't always greener, and the complexity of winning playoff games isn't just for QBs. Minnesota has found a good one and should stick with the hot hand even if the 2024 campaign ends in disappointment.
Verdict — JP Acosta
I would like to thank Attorneys Datar and Schofield for their arguments. As you can imagine, this incident will have ramifications for both the Minnesota Vikings and the upcoming free agency period. Darnold had a great year as a passer, but I'd like to point out another piece of evidence presented by the court through Luke Brown of the Vikings.
According to OverTheCap, if the Vikings were to put Darnold back on the franchise tag, he would be worth $41 million. Would the Vikings be comfortable giving Darnold $41 million to sit on the bench behind QB JJ McCarthy when so many key players are in free agency? Considering how this year was supposed to go, this feels like a miscalculation. They took QB Kirk Cousins off the books and cleared cap space for this free agency period and the next to really set up the next iteration of the team. Paying Darnold that much seems like the wrong way to build a roster that already has its quarterback of the future on the roster. for that, My verdict is against Attorney Schofield and against re-signing Sam Darnold. I think it would be smart for the Vikings to do this now, especially when there are so many other holes remaining on the roster. They also may not get a chance to pay Darnold and someone else will.
