How did Seattle get so lucky to get Darnold?

[seabowl]

After the Super Bowl last year, I was talking with a friend of mine about Sam Darnold. He was saying he thought the Vikings weren’t going to re-sign him and I was saying they would be absolutely not let him go. Why in the world would they get rid of a guy who put up monster numbers last season and although didn’t finish the last few games, strong, was fantastic for most of the year? I just could not comprehend them letting him go to start McCarthy, who in essence would be a rookie quarterback, coming off of an ACL injury having never played a regular season NFL game. Well, I was wrong, but at the end was right that they were crazy to let him go. In my opinion, somebody in that organization should be fired for making such a stupid move.

Just curious if anyone here also thought the Vikings at the time should move on from Darnold and why?

 

[Seahawks1Fan]

Big mistake on their part and I'm so thankful that it was!

I think it was a combination of a couple of things.
Their coach is supposedly a 'quarterback whisperer' and they thought he would work his magic with McCarthy who can't seem to stay healthy. They could have re-signed Darnold or signed Aaron Rodgers who was rumored to want to go to Minnesota but they said 'no' to both and now here they are struggling like crazy.

And the other thing that factored into their decision in my opinion was the last 2 games that Darnold played for the Vikings. He was harassed and sacked multiple times in both games but somehow he takes the blame for the Vikings losing to Detroit on the last game of the season and for the Wildcard playoff loss.

Even the talking heads on tv say they aren't buying into Darnold yet because of those last 2 games. Makes no sense to me as everyone seems to conveniently look past the previous 16 performances of Darnold last year where he was 'lights out'.

Anyway, none of that matters now as we are the beneficiaries of some bad decision making from Minnesota. Thank you Vikings!!!

 

[Jac]

I said from the very beginning that the Vikings made a mistake. They were 13-4, built to win now, and could have built on their success (teams on the 'up' often fail their first time in the playoffs). McCarthy was way over-drafted and not even a legitimate first round QB in the first place. I get wanting to take advantage of a rookie QB window, but there was no reason to think McCarthy was the guy for that. They legitimately threw away their SB window in arrogance, ignorance, or combination of both.

 

[pittpnthrs]

I can't fault them honestly. Darnold was always a mid tier talent until last season on a team with crazy offensive talent. The Vikings line of thought was surely that if they could get those results with a QB that had always been mid, why not go with the younger and cheaper option?

I'm a Seahawk fan and i'm over the moon with how well Sam's been playing, but nobody on this board can tell me they would have been surprised if it had turned out differently than it has so far.

 

[Ruminator]

So many positives with Darnold in Seattle. He is playing at an elite level, is still fairly young, and has high regard for Macdonald and Kubiak. The cherry on top is his comment that, after being on the roster of four other NFL teams, he finally feels "at home." In this interview from back in August, it's evident that Darnold genuinely felt, back then, that Seattle could make a lot of sense for him:

 

[Atradees]

Wow. You guys are all really dedicated. Writing little novellas. I saw Sam had a quicker release and was a clearly better qb. Blah, blah blah

 

[Wsumatt1982]

Sam turned 28 back in June. Last years Rookies Michael Penix Jr and Bo Nix both turned 25 earlier this year, May and February respectively.

I expected Sam to be closer to the first 16 games of last season. Thought he would take a little time to gel with the players and coaches but he has hit the ground running. Not only that but we got him on a great deal too. So cheap for a QB his age playing at his level. Minnesota kind of forced their hand by drafting McCarthy so high and fans wanting immediate results. But Sam is our "problem" now and I love it.

 

[bileever]

It wasn't unreasonable for other teams to be unsure about Darnold. He just hadn't been that good in previous seasons. You have to take his entire career into consideration in evaluating him. Also, the narrative was that he was a product of Kevin O'Connell's system and that he had the benefit of playing with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson.

Of course, the only person who knew what he had was Kevin O'Connell, and his decision to let Darnold walk is baffling. You just don't tear it down after a 14-3 season.

We're the lucky recipients of not only Minnesota's bad decisions, but many other teams. The Jets, Giants, Steelers, Browns, Saints and Colts were all looking for a QB this off season. (The Colts got the other Viking's castoff.) Getting Darnold for $33.5 million per year seems like a pretty sweet deal now.

 

[evergreen]

Don't forget how competitive that Detroit game was, plus the it was the biggest home game for them ever. Minnie was down indie the red zone four or five times in the first half, but KO kept going on 4th down instead of taking the threes. And he got face masked against the Rams in the reg season game, never called.
And the genius let both top QBs (Daniel Jones anybody???) walk in free agency. Ouch!!!

 

[GemCity]

Agree with most of what’s been said here. But, I can see Minnesota’s perspective as well. They drafted a first rounder, thought that just about anybody could’ve played QB with how their team was stacked.

As previously mentioned, Sam was a below average talent for the first part of his career. Obviously, that’s a loaded statement as his previous teams O-lines have to be factored in.

Someone awhile back mentioned how Minn management would have looked dumb by paying Darnold and not letting McCarthy take over…the alternative is what we’re seeing now.

When you roll the dice, you sometimes lose. I’m thankful for the Vikings and the mistake they made.

Sam is a perfect fit for Kubiak’s system. Stats aside, I feel like this stretch has been the best of his career thus far as he looks like he’s in total control of the offense.

I write this in chunks at red lights…my bad on how it reads.

 

[hox]

I don't know about the Vikings cap situation but there was reporting that they wouldn't have been able to add guys like Will Fries and retain other guys if they tagged Darnold or gave him a new contract. They were willing to give him a one-year deal but unwilling to give him a multi-year deal.

They also felt that Darnold would beat McCarthy for the starting job, which would "stall" McCarthy's development and delay the cheap rookie contract window they were trying to take advantage of. Strategic misfire but they were thinking long term.

Raiders, Steelers and Giants also pursued Darnold, but JS ultimately won the bidding war and secured the contract by frontloading it with massive guarantees. The familiarity and fit with Kubiak's system was also a factor on why Darnold chose Seattle over those other teams.

 

[NoGain]

I'm more perplexed why they didn't lock up Daniel Jones for a year or two when they had the chance. Jones is making less than half of what Darnold is with Hawks, and it seems like he would have been a good fit for them when they went the QBOTF route in the draft.

 

[Hawkpower]

It's crazy how narratives get written (Sam crumbles in big games) and then just run with as if they are the gospel truth

Viking fans on Twitter(and the few remaining Geno stans) are still holding on to this as cope. "Just wait till the playoffs guyz. Then you'll see the REAL Sam"

Now that their "1 hit wonder" and "only thrived because of the Vikings stacked roster" narratives have crumbled, it's all they have left

 

[BirdsCommaAngry]

Some credit goes to the 2024 draft. 6 QBs taken in the first 12 picks and no Trey Lance type busts to immediately switch a team back into looking for another QB. Prior to trades and other FA signings, Sam's choices for signing to be the starter were between what? Us and any or none of Indy, Pitt, Vegas, and NO? It was a very favorable competition for us there.

 

[keasley45]

Hopefully we all still feel this way after the season is over and it's not the Vikings saying 'Told you.... '

And I mean that sincerely. 2012 was great not only for the fact we were so dominant, but also because we were set at QB. From where I sit, we havent had the kind of play you can bank in there since 2019. Not saying we had bad play, but Russ went full meltdown in 2020 and thereafter it's been a crap show of coordinators and Geno.

Would be nice to come out of this season and step into the future with certainty again.

Still a lot of games left though. Hope you continues the solid play and stays healthy. God forbid the season gets flushed down the crapper because we have to turn to Lock it the rook.

But luck? Nah. JS has likely been looking at the QB position every year since 2018. He was just tied to Pete and Pete loved Russ and then Geno. JS wanted HIS guy at QB same way he wanted his guy at HC. It wasn't luck. He was waiting for the opportunity and no doubt looking and prepared when it came. He has a team now that has his stamp all over it. So far so good.

 

[LeveeBreak]

Having the stars align and taking action when they do is a great experience. JS navigatged those few weeks with Geno/DK/Sam like a Jedi Master.

An established QB enables the franchise to fill holes earnestly. For starters, we have 1 glaring need to fill and 2026 UFA's look manageable (Jones, Mafe, Bryant, Jobe, Okada, Woolen, Young, Kendrick).

Feeling good about current and near future state.

 

[Streamhawk]

I said from the very beginning that the Vikings made a mistake. They were 13-4, built to win now, and could have built on their success (teams on the 'up' often fail their first time in the playoffs). McCarthy was way over-drafted and not even a legitimate first round QB in the first place. I get wanting to take advantage of a rookie QB window, but there was no reason to think McCarthy was the guy for that. They legitimately threw away their SB window in arrogance, ignorance, or combination of both.

Correction, the Vikings were 14-3 last year. That was an incredible season, and I remember the team carrying Sam around the locker room after their last W.

I agree with everything else you said. I remember thinking McCarthy was a massive reach in the first round, though I also thought Nix was too.

 

[chris98251]

This fits into my arguement about seasoning QB's and letting them learn, Jones, Mayfield, Darnold are just a couple examples also add the systems they play in versus what they do well and the supporting cast, throw in coaching also. It's a problem of evaluation and expectations based on skills and the patience of the Owners, GM's and Coaches, also Fans, we see a number 1 and expect instant payback.

 

[pittpnthrs]

It's crazy how narratives get written (Sam crumbles in big games) and then just run with as if they are the gospel truth

Viking fans on Twitter(and the few remaining Geno stans) are still holding on to this as cope. "Just wait till the playoffs guyz. Then you'll see the REAL Sam"

Now that their "1 hit wonder" and "only thrived because of the Vikings stacked roster" narratives have crumbled, it's all they have left

Have they crumbled? How many playoff games has he won? They might be right.

 

[Streamhawk]

Have they crumbled? How many playoff games has he won? They might be right.

How many playoff games has he been in? One, and yeah it wasn’t pretty against a more talented Rams team. It happens! Last time Russ led us to the playoffs he absolutely crumbled much worse than Sam did versus the Rams.