The Minnesota Vikings are watching Super Bowl week from home, but that doesn't mean they're not feeling the weight of decisions made months ago-especially when it comes to Sam Darnold. Less than a week after Darnold helped the Seattle Seahawks punch their ticket to Super Bowl LX, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah opened up about the franchise’s choice to let him walk in free agency last offseason. And it’s clear: that decision still lingers.
“There are nights you wake up and stare at the ceiling and ask yourself,” Adofo-Mensah admitted during Thursday’s media availability. “I always go back to the process and what we thought at the time.
I still understand why we did what we did. The results maybe didn’t play out the way we wanted them to, but ultimately, at the end of the day, I think we could have executed in certain places.”
That’s about as candid as it gets from a front office executive, especially when the quarterback you let walk just led another team to the NFC title.
Let’s rewind. After a 14-win 2024 season with Darnold under center, the Vikings opted not to use the franchise tag, allowing him to hit the open market.
Seattle quickly pounced, locking him in with a three-year deal north of $100 million. The Seahawks went from 10-7 to 14-3 in his first season, and now they’re prepping for the biggest game of the year.
Minnesota, meanwhile, handed the reins to J.J. McCarthy.
The second-year quarterback showed flashes, but consistency was hard to come by. He finished with as many interceptions as touchdowns in his 10 starts and missed seven games due to a string of injuries-an ankle sprain, a concussion, and a hand fracture.
The Vikings finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
It’s the kind of sliding-doors scenario that keeps general managers up at night. And Adofo-Mensah didn’t shy away from the fact that the gap between process and outcome has been tough to reconcile.
“You’re trying to make sure you don’t lock yourselves into what you did and thinking that it’s always right,” he said. “It’s easier to be revisionist and results-based, but you’ve got to think through what we had at the time.”
In other words, the decision wasn’t made in a vacuum. The Vikings were betting on long-term upside with McCarthy, a young quarterback they believed could grow into the role. But in the short term, it’s hard to ignore the contrast: Darnold is leading a Super Bowl team, while Minnesota is left wondering what could’ve been.
And for Adofo-Mensah, that contrast is more than just a talking point-it’s a reminder of how razor-thin the margin for error can be in the NFL. The process may have been sound.
The outcome? That’s another story.
On Sunday, Darnold will take the field with a shot at a championship. The Vikings will be watching from afar, carrying the weight of a decision that’s now impossible to ignore.