Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doesn’t exactly regret letting Sam Darnold leave in free agency, but does admit to spending some long nights thinking about the quarterback who led the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl berth this season.
‘You spend a lot of those nights, obviously, you’re up in these decisions and they’re uncertain,’ Adofo-Mensah told reporters on Thursday. ‘You’re trying to make sure you don’t lock yourself into what you did and thinking that it’s always right.
‘So 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. It’s easier to kind of go and be revisionist and result-based,’ he continued.Â
‘I still understand why we did what we did. The results maybe didn’t play out the way we wanted them to, but ultimately, I think at the end of the day we could have executed in certain places.’
Many fans found Adofo-Mensah’s answer to be refreshingly honest, even if they still blame him for going with embattled 23-year-old JJ McCarthy over Darnold in 2025. The former Michigan star led the Vikings to a mediocre 9-8 season despite Minnesota’s top-rated defense.
‘Solid answer, pretty candid actually. Still doesn’t absolve him from letting a guy that went 14-3 with a contending roster walk for essentially a rookie,’ one fan wrote on X. ‘Waste of a year.’
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) greets players during a practice Thursday
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah of the Minnesota Vikings isn’t regretting the move
Darnold will be starting in the Super Bowl before Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and the rest of the NFL’s Class of 2018 quarterbacks.
It took Darnold five teams and eight seasons to get here.
Darnold led the Seahawks to a 14-3 record, a division title, the No. 1 seed and was at his best in the NFC championship game.
Despite an oblique injury, Darnold threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns in Seattle’s 31-27 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. He completed 25 of 36 passes and had no turnovers.
‘He just shut a lot of people up,’ Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. ‘Really happy for him.’
Labeled a bust early in his career, Darnold was still doubted by critics following his impressive turnaround.
Darnold went to Minnesota and thrived under coach Kevin O’Connell. He had a breakthrough season in 2024, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 TDs while having a 102.5 passer rating and leading the Vikings to 14 wins.
But Minnesota chose to stick with McCarthy, whose 2024 injury initially opened the door for Darnold to play and flourish in Minneapolis.Â
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) holds the NFC Championship trophy
Based off his success with the Vikings, the Seahawks gave Darnold a three-year, $100.5 million contract to replace Geno Smith. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to lead two different teams to 14 wins in consecutive seasons. Tom Brady did it with the Patriots.
‘We believe in him. The building believes in him. The city believes in him. It’s awesome to run out onto the field with him,’ All-Pro wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said.
Darnold has come a long way since telling coaches he was ‘seeing ghosts’ during a lopsided loss to the Patriots in his second season.
‘There was a lot that I didn’t know back then, so I’m just going to continue to learn and grow in this great game,’ Darnold said. ‘There is a lot of stuff that I can get better from today even. I feel like I missed some throws out there that I shouldn’t miss.
‘There were some things offensively that I feel like we can do better. So, we’re always looking to get better. I’m always looking to get better. That’s the great part about this game is you win an NFC championship and you win games throughout the season, but there is always ways that you can look to get better.’
Share or comment on this article:
Vikings GM gets ‘candid’ on decision to let Sam Darnold walk as Seahawks QB prepares for Super Bowl