One year later, it’s easy to wonder how the Minnesota Vikings could have let Sam Darnold get away. The Vikings wanted him back, but weren’t willing to commit to a long-term deal that rivaled what the Seattle Seahawks offered him. Kyler Murray isn’t Sam Darnold, but he gives Minnesota a rare opportunity to reset at quarterback.
Minnesota may have been more comfortable paying Darnold had he not played his two worst games of the season in Week 18 and the playoffs.
With the division title and NFC’s No. 1 seed on the line, Darnold missed open receivers in the end zone and appeared to be overwhelmed in a 31-9 loss to the Detroit Lions. Worse yet, he didn’t bounce back any better in a Vikings’ 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round. He had season-worst EPAs (expected points added) of -26.0 and -27.1, respectively.)
However, Minnesota also put together two of its worst defensive performances of the season in those two weeks. Although the Vikings played the Lions tough for most of the game, they allowed three touchdowns in the final 17:30. Jared Goff deciphered Minnesota’s secondary and exploited the middle of the field, left vacated after the Vikings sent blitzes that were covering up for the defensive line’s weak interior pass rush.
One week later, the Rams got off to a quick 10-0 lead and relied on a quick passing game that also took advantage of Minnesota’s aggressive defensive scheme. The Vikings also allowed nine sacks, leading Kevin O’Connell to tell reporters the team had to get stronger on the interior of the offensive line in the offseason.
The Vikings left that game knowing they needed improved play on the interior of the defensive line so that they wouldn’t have to rely on blitzes to get pressure up the middle. In response, they spent money in free agency to do so.
Every GM wants to build a roster around a rookie quarterback. Improving the defense and offensive line while turning to J.J. McCarthy, a quarterback on a rookie deal, was even more appealing.
Of course, McCarthy struggled, and most of Minnesota’s free agent acquisitions failed to live up to their contracts. Darnold, who Minnesota could have afforded had they not signed those free agents, won the Super Bowl with the Seahawks.
Now, the Vikings appear poised to sign veteran quarterback Kyler Murray. The Arizona Cardinals have told the former first-overall pick they will release him, meaning Minnesota doesn’t have to take on his cap hits of $52.66 million in 2026 and $43.53 million in 2027.
Murray has offset language in his contract, which means the Vikings can sign him to a league-minimum deal. That gives Minnesota the luxury of the cheap quarterback they wanted last year, except this time, that quarterback has 87 starts, 121 touchdown passes, and two Pro Bowls to his name.
That allows the Vikings to eat dead cap money on players like Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, who they signed last year, as well as other veterans, including Aaron Jones. Ryan Kelly announced his retirement, and they could restructure or release T.J. Hockenson.
In a way, this gives Minnesota a do-over after last year. They don’t need to spend exorbitant amounts of money to fix their quarterback situation. Even though the Allen and Hargrave additions didn’t work out, the Vikings still ranked third in the league in yards. They swept the Lions largely because of two outstanding overall defensive performances.
Had they kept Darnold and fallen short of a Super Bowl, the Vikings likely would have spent this offseason wondering if another expensive quarterback contract was limiting them. A long-term deal likely would have earned Darnold a three-year commitment.
Even if the Vikings used the franchise tag on him last year, a one-year commitment worth $40.42 million, they would once again be entering this offseason wondering if they should reduce the quarterback cap burden by moving on to McCarthy or extending Darnold.
The argument could be that Minnesota would have a larger sample size on Darnold and not be quite as spooked by his late-season struggles.
But could the Vikings have secured home-field advantage as the Seahawks did?
Not only did Minnesota’s free agent class not pan out, but Christian Darrisaw was in and out of the lineup throughout the year. On defense, Andrew Van Ginkel, Harrison Smith, and Blake Cashman missed time early on, which showed deficiencies against the run in the first half of the season.
Darnold could have provided more life on offense, but would he have been worth bringing back for a one-and-done playoff run? Would a loss in the Divisional Round have justified his contract?
Minnesota’s poor quarterback play exposed all the team’s shortcomings. Years of poor drafting led to aggressive approaches to free agency in recent years. Those signings worked out in 2024, but it’s hard to continually gloss over constant misses in the draft.
But when it all came crumbling down in 2025, it was evident that the team needed to change course at the general manager. The Vikings fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on January 30, almost four months after the season.
There has been criticism over the years that the Vikings can never be bad enough to bottom out, get a top draft pick, and start from scratch. They may not have finished with the league’s worst record in 2025, but Minnesota’s 4-8 start culminated in a 26-0 loss in Seattle.
Darnold was unspectacular, completing 14 of 26 passes for 128 yards, losing one fumble. But the defense was a machine, intercepting Vikings rookie Max Brosmer four times. Seattle cruised to victory with the blueprint the Vikings thought they had implemented when they moved on from Darnold in the offseason.
Justin Jefferson caught two passes for a career-low four yards. Photographers caught him sitting by himself on a Gatorade cooler, and he didn’t speak to the media following the game. It may not have resulted in the Vikings receiving the first overall pick in the draft, but it was a rock-bottom moment.
After that loss, Minnesota overhauled its offensive game plan. They began running more when McCarthy re-entered the lineup, winning five games in a row to close out the season.
Lessons learned through 12 games influenced a more conservative approach in the team’s final five games. Perhaps O’Connell realized that his system couldn’t elevate everyone. And if he had to overhaul his system for a 23-year-old quarterback, was that the guy for his offense anyway?
Now, O’Connell has a chance to re-establish himself as a quarterback guru. After almost everything he touched turned to gold over three seasons, the 2025 season proved he had faults in implementing game plans and even in evaluating the position.
Fortunately, the Vikings won’t have to make up for their mistake by reaching in the draft for a quarterback. They won’t need to trade precious draft capital to acquire someone like Mac Jones. And they probably can’t trade for someone like Joe Burrow.
But they realized their faults in 2025, and despite how bad things got, they learned lessons. There has to be a baseline level of quarterback play to compete, and Minnesota is going to get that with Murray at a league-minimum salary.
Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski is leading the team through the draft, and it sounds like the Vikings will have a more traditional approach to scouting. They own four of the first 97 picks in the upcoming draft, providing them a chance to inject cheaper, younger talent into the roster.
If Kyler Murray can perform like a league-average quarterback, Minnesota has a chance to compete for the NFC North again. It’s a rare opportunity for a reset that few teams get.