The Minnesota Vikings were riding high after a standout 2024 campaign, posting a 14-3 record that turned heads across the league. It was the best mark of any team that didn’t capture a division crown-a tough pill to swallow considering they dropped the NFC North title to the Detroit Lions in a high-stakes regular-season finale.
But just as quickly as their season soared, it came to a sudden stop. The Vikings' playoff run was over before it really began, falling in the Wild Card round to the Los Angeles Rams. And not long after, the team made a bold decision that’s now being viewed through a far more critical lens: they let quarterback Sam Darnold walk in free agency.
Darnold wasn’t just a placeholder under center-he was instrumental in guiding Minnesota to those 14 wins. But the front office, led by general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, believed it was time to pass the torch.
That torch went to J.J. McCarthy, the promising second-year quarterback expected to usher in a new era.
The plan didn’t pan out.
McCarthy struggled with injuries and inconsistency, and the Vikings stumbled to an 8-9 finish-good enough only for a tie for third in the division. What was supposed to be a step forward became a frustrating detour.
Adofo-Mensah has since acknowledged the weight of that decision. And with Darnold now preparing to lead the Seattle Seahawks into Super Bowl 60, it’s a situation that understandably sticks with him.
“There are nights you wake up and stare at the ceiling and ask yourself,” Adofo-Mensah said. “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 a candid reflection from a GM who knows the NFL doesn’t offer much room for error at the quarterback position. The Vikings bet on potential over proven production-and it cost them.
#Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on the teams decisions to let Sam Darnold walk:
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) January 29, 2026
“There are nights you wake up and stare at the ceiling and ask yourself… 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… pic.twitter.com/dr6TuPJyl5
Looking ahead, Minnesota is expected to bring in a veteran quarterback this offseason to compete with McCarthy for the starting job. It’s a move that signals a reset, not a rebuild. The team still believes in McCarthy’s upside, but after a season that fell short of expectations, they’re not leaving anything to chance.
The Vikings have a talented roster and a front office willing to make bold moves. Now, it’s about finding the right quarterback to bring it all together. Whether that’s McCarthy, a veteran addition, or someone else entirely, the stakes are high-and the expectations haven’t changed.