Sam Darnold Decision Created Schism Inside MN Vikings Organization

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Sam Darnold and JJ McCarthy - Minnesota Vikings Training Camp
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Suddenly, Minnesota Vikings fans are asking WTF happened last offseason? Knowing what we know know, how in the world did Kevin O’Connell, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the rest of the organization’s top decision-makers let Sam Darnold walk out the door last offseason?

WTF were the Vikings thinking with Sam Darnold vs JJ McCarthy?

Over the weekend, Sam outlasted Matthew Stafford in the NFC Championship game — leading his Seahawks to a 31-27 victory over the LA Rams. Darnold was the MVP, completing 25/36 passes for 346 yards and 3 touchdowns.

This, less than one year after the Vikings let Darnold go in free agency last February/March, in favor of JJ McCarthy. And now, KOC & Co. have more QB problems than they can count. Meanwhile, the quarterback they didn’t want is about to play in the Super Bowl with his new team.

Sure, hindsight is 20/20, but O’Connell and Kwesi are paid a lot of money to see the football future more clearly than others would.

Many accepted that the Vikings were going to let Sam walk for nothing more than a 3rd round comp pick. Others, however, were BEGGING the Vikings to keep Darnold or, at the least, tag him so they’d get something in return for a 27-year-old high-end QB walking out the door.

But now that we know McCarthy was nowhere near ready to take over an NFL offense — the rest of the football world is wondering what exactly Minnesota was thinking last offseason?

MN Vikings “top decision-makers” did not believe in Sam Darnold

According to Alec Lewis (TheAthletic), here was a lot of DIFFERENT ideas in Eagan surrounding the QB decision, around this time last year. But in the end, the team’s “top decision-makers were never fully-committed” to bringing Darnold back.

The most succinct way to sum up the Minnesota side of this chapter in Darnold’s story? Even though he won 14 games last season and led the Vikings to the playoffs, he struggled in several big games — including in the playoffs against, ironically, the Rams. As a result, the team’s primary decision-makers were never fully committed to the idea that he could be the team’s long-term franchise quarterback.

Alec Lewis – The Athletic

Related: Minnesota Vikings Demoting JJ McCarthy?

Lewis goes on to write that the Darnold decision was far from unified. Inside TCO Performance Center, some were disgusted by what they saw out of Darnold in the final two weeks — a week 18 loss vs the Lions and wildcard loss one week later vs the Rams. They were ready to move on.

Others were much more concerned about McCarthy’s readiness and thus more willing to dismiss Darnold’s struggles late in the season to inexperience. Another year in KOC’s system, combined with the experience he gained in 2025 would make for an even better Sam Darnold in 2026.

Obviously, healthy debate and disagreement is standard inside of a competitive workplace like an NFL football team. You need that if your decision-makers are going to identify and make moves that build a Super Bowl caliber organization.

Vikings’ debate on QB situation went deeper than standard operating procedure?

But it sounds like the discussions and disagreements internally, when it came to the plan at quarterback for 2026 and beyond, went past the type of split you’d hope for when making a franchise altering decision like what to do at the sport’s most important position.

The team also tried to gauge whether or not Darnold could replicate his 2024 season. The Vikings also reviewed his two-game finish against the Lions and Rams in the most meaningful moments of the season. He struggled on those two nights, but so did the offensive line and those in charge of the offensive design.

Differing opinions on the dynamics of those games — and all of these subjects — made it hard to come to a consensus about what to do at quarterback when the offseason began. As we’ve written, “Some inside the building pushed to keep Darnold, thinking that with more time in the system, his professionalism and experience would matter more than a couple of free-agent signings.” Others internally questioned McCarthy’s readiness for such a meaningful on- and off-field role with a team built to win now.

Alec Lewis – The Athletic

Related: Former Vikings QBs are Bashing Mike Zimmer on Social Media (Again)

The unofficial NFL offseason began weeks ago for the 2025 Minnesota Vikings, who at 9-8 failed to make the playoffs for the second time in four years under head coach Kevin O’Connell.

But we are now less than two weeks away from the offseason officially starting, following next Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Seahawks and Patriots. But it only took a few weeks into the 2026 season for many inside the Vikings organization to realize they made a mistake.

More schisms in MN Vikings organization…

Before long, those who wanted to stick with Darnold grew more frustrated as Seattle won more games and WR1 Jaxon Smith-Njigba climbed the receiving charts. Meanwhile, the Vikings locker room was crumbling and Justin Jefferson was in the midst of his worst NFL season.

A few weeks into the 2025 season, some within the Vikings building were juxtaposing the team’s turbulence with the Seahawks’ success. The disparity was jarring. In Minnesota, the offense seemed broken. In Seattle, Darnold was orchestrating one of the NFL’s most explosive passing games.

The widening gap in the record between the two teams made comparisons inevitable. The difference in production between elite receivers Justin Jefferson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn’t go unnoticed by Vikings players, either.

Alec Lewis – The Athletic

It’s funny, the further we get away from the Minnesota Vikings 2025 season, the more we learn about the many “schisms” that were going on at TCO Performance Center — “schisms” that we were told didn’t exist for much of the season.

Not only do we know that these “schisms” definitely existed, but some go back to the 2025 offseason and beyond. Just last week, former Vikings assistant head coach Mike Pettine revealed a massive “schism” between him and defensive coordinator Brian Flores too. And again, the offseason hasn’t even officially started yet.

In other words: When there is smoke, you’ll oftentimes find fire.

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