If there are a theoretically infinite number of universes with infinitely different versions of the Minnesota Vikings, have any of them managed to hoist a Lombardi Trophy? Or is pain simply a cosmological constant that all Vikings fans across the multiverse have to endure?
Forgive my melodramatic opening; this season is starting to get to me.
As a concussed J.J. McCarthy gets ready to watch from the sidelines as Max Brosmer faces off against his former teammate Sam Darnold, it’s clear that out of all the possible outcomes for this season, the one we’re living in has gotta be in the bottom percentile. Coming off that embarrassment of a performance against the Green Bay Packers last weekend, one where your quarterback of the future broke franchise records for negative EPA per play at -.65, it’s hard to imagine a more disastrous outcome.
It’s natural to look over at the opposing sideline with wandering eyes for what might have been. Even with Darnold’s late-season collapse in his final two games with the Vikings, he was far better than what Minnesota has offered this season, and he’s continued his quality play in Seattle for the most part. There have been moments of frustration for Darnold this year — Seahawks fans got their own version of a Sam Darnold catastrophe against the Los Angeles Rams — but by and large, he’s been everything Seattle could’ve hoped for when they signed him.
He’s slinging the ball downfield, he’s managing the Klint Kubiak offense well, and he’s gotten production out of Jaxon Smith-Njigba that has national media vaulting JSN above Justin Jefferson in the conversation about elite receivers. The Seahawks organization has to be pleased. Darnold has pretty much been worth every penny of the $100 million contract they gave him. And as this coaching staff tries, with relative futility, to get McCarthy playing starting-caliber football, I’m sure the doubts have crept into this front office about whether they should’ve kept Sam long term.
But in the universe where the Vikings brought Darnold back, either on the type of deal Seattle gave him (three years, $100.5 million) or on the franchise tag ($41.3 million in 2025), are things really that much better? Does Sam Darnold solve the worst issues plaguing this offense? Or are they more systemic?
When the Vikings split with Darnold, I wrote a tongue-in-cheek breakup letter to our old friend. In it, I said that part of the problem was that Minnesota just couldn’t be the best version of itself with him under center, and because of that, it was best for both of them to part ways. When I wrote that, I was operating on the assumption that McCarthy would be a league-average starter with some growing pains, rather than an injury-plagued disaster, and I still stand by some of my logic at the time.
For all the sweet music Darnold and Kevin O’Connell made last season, the late-season collapse did happen. O’Connell’s play calling, the replacement-level interior of the offensive line, and Darnold’s inability to adapt and produce all coalesced in the complete meltdown against the Detroit Lions and Rams to close out the year. Determined not to let those same roster holes be their Achilles’ heel, the Vikings invested in the roster around the quarterback to put him in a better position to excel.
If Darnold were on this team, it would have hampered their spending power in free agency. Minnesota’s 2025 free-agent class has been a mixed bag, with some guys like Javon Hargrave or Will Fries struggling to live up to expectations. Still, the front office tried to address the problems that had plagued them last year.
Re-signing Darnold for 2025, whether through the tag or an extension, likely means even more depth issues for this top-heavy roster on the offensive and defensive lines. Maybe Donovan Jackson remains the pick in the first round to invest in protecting Darnold. Still, the Vikings might have been placing him alongside Garrett Bradbury or Ed Ingram for another year.
Perhaps more concerning, I don’t think we can immediately assume that all the offensive issues this season are solved by having a good quarterback alone. The Christian Darrisaw injury debacle and constant shuffling up front would’ve been deeply challenging for Darnold to handle, much in the same way that it was for Carson Wentz and McCarthy.
Moreover, O’Connell’s offensive scheme has been largely dysfunctional in every game since that Lions game at the end of last season. Why should we be so sure that Darnold would’ve inspired a better game plan from his head coach, or thrived in this offensive ecosystem again?
I’ve watched Darnold play high-level football in Minnesota and Seattle, and I refuse to believe that he’s simply a product of his environment. He’s very talented, and when put in a position to succeed, he can really thrive. The bar J.J. McCarthy has set for quarterback play in Minnesota is easy to clear these days, but I’d bet that Darnold would have also faced adversity.
The Vikings’ issues feel beyond the quarterback, though. The offense is broken. And if anyone on the offensive staff starts telling themselves that Sam Darnold would’ve negated all their issues, they need to take a long look in the mirror. Many of these problems would’ve persisted outside of Darnold, and what he brings to the table isn’t enough to hide all those warts.
Would the team’s record for this individual season be better? Of that I’m pretty certain. But would it be worth the real chance of competing, as Sam has now in Seattle? That’s a far more difficult question. Just because the outcome turned out poorly doesn’t mean it was the wrong decision.
