Don’t Worry About Sam Darnold’s Future
Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
It’s hard for Minnesota Vikings fans to handle success. It’s not shocking, since Minnesotans have been conditioned to wait for the other shoe to drop, and they’ve only ever been proven right. Their ever-present sense of impending doom poisons the sweet taste of success. Minnesota native Mitch Hedberg’s joke about not eating an apple because it’ll eventually become a core sums it up nicely.
And that’s exactly what is happening with Sam Darnold, who is coming off a five-touchdown performance that had fans breaking out the MVP chants on Sunday. But after the game, the discourse started turning toward the likelihood that Darnold will become a free agent.
Under a normal circumstance, Darnold would remain a Viking after his breakout year. After all, he’s on pace for a 4,300-yard, 37-touchdown, 13-interception season, which merits a big raise over his $10 million salary. And when Baker Mayfield enjoyed a similar breakout in Tampa Bay last season, the Buccaneers made it work to keep their new QB long-term.
But when a team drafts a signal-caller 10th overall, it’s impossible to change direction from there, meaning Darnold is likely getting his big payday elsewhere this offseason. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Darnold and the Vikings have not discussed a long-term deal. So if you’re looking for a cloud to accompany your silver lining, there you go.
But let’s stress these words: this offseason. That’s when the Vikings (and their fans) need to worry about that problem. Any second spent wondering whether Darnold or J.J. McCarthy will be the starter in 2025 is a second someone isn’t basking in the glow of a magical 11-2 season.
Look what happened the last time the Vikings bought into doom and gloom over their quarterback situation. When Kirk Cousins left, no one thought they’d be in a better spot to start 2024 than they were in 2023. While Darnold and Kevin O’Connell can say they believed this type of season was possible, not even the most optimistic fans couldn’t see this level of success.
And that was the optimistic folks. The pessimists, like KFAN analyst Paul Charchian, were convinced the Vikings were going to sink with a washed quarterback steering the ship.
Sleep easy, Vikings fans. You’ve got the quarterback you wanted. And deserved. pic.twitter.com/Ug2CDJnuKr
— Devin Jones (@DevinJonesMN) December 8, 2024
That now-infamous tweet has been making the rounds because it looks a bit silly now, but let’s be real. What had Darnold done in the NFL to make anything think otherwise? Sure, he hadn’t had weapons like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison to throw to, but for most of his career, he looked flat-out awful. His last season with the New York Jets saw him play 12 games while throwing for 2,208 yards, nine touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
This is a special, special turnaround, and it demands your full attention. Why ruin it by dwelling on what hasn’t happened yet? Many fans are too concerned with fast-forwarding to this offseason to see who is starting in 2025 instead of enjoying the here and now.
The same thing happened when Cousins was still in Minnesota and playing well. The people who supported Cousins were too busy trying to defend him, while those who didn’t believe Cousins was worth his contract were too busy trying to force him out of town. Meanwhile, the Vikings finished the 2022 season with a 13-4 record, but it was drowned out by the noise from those squabbling over Cousins, instead of simply enjoying every win.
With little reason to complain about Darnold’s play, and the analytics community not constantly proclaiming the 2024 Vikings as fraud, this season is even more enjoyable than 2022. Let’s not get sidetracked and bogged down in a Darnold vs. McCarthy debate.
Take your cues from the man himself, as Darnold is living in the moment. He’s repeatedly talked about how much he has enjoyed playing in the North, and the fans have shown him a ton of love in return. Even during a recent Timberwolves game, the QB got to steal the show when he got on the Jumbotron.
Minnesota loves their QB1, Sam Darnold!!! #Vikings pic.twitter.com/UDtWA0G4hv
— Nadine Babu (@NadineBabu) December 3, 2024
After leading the Vikings to 42 points on Sunday, the fans gave him an even bigger ovation. Darnold admitted that the moment meant a lot to him. “That was a lot of emotion for me,” Darnold said at his postgame press conference. “I was just excited, man. I feel like I couldn’t just sit there just kind of stoic and straight-faced. I felt like I had to show a little bit of emotion for the fans and gave them what they wanted. That was a special moment for me.”
No matter how this season ends, it has already been a special year that Vikings fans will remember for a long time. With only four games left in the regular season, let’s just take it week by week, enjoy every game as it comes, and worry about the future later. This team has all the pieces in place to win a Super Bowl, so let’s put our energy into that instead of worrying about who might try to lead the Vikings to their second-straight title in 2025.
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