Vikings star opens up on Sam Darnold departure

As the Minnesota Vikings prepare for the upcoming draft cycle and assess their future at quarterback, Jefferson offered a striking evaluation of last season’s turmoil, suggesting his team might have, wait for it, fared better had they kept Sam Darnold.

The Vikings’ 2025 campaign ended in disappointment. A 9-8 record left Minnesota outside the playoff picture following a year mired in instability at the quarterback position.

Speaking to USA Today, Jefferson said: “Everyone knows the difficulty of the quarterback position this year, how we were dealt it. But having a quarterback that already had a season under his belt with us, knew the plays, knew the playbook, knew the players, throwing to me, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, all these guys, I definitely feel like we would have done better.

“But it is what it is," he said, “it’s on to newer and better things. But I’m definitely happy and proud of him that he is able to reach it this year.”

That quarterback was Sam Darnold, the former New York Jets first-round pick whose career seemed all but over before a surprising resurgence with Minnesota in 2024. Darnold posted career-high numbers that season, throwing for more than 4,300 yards and 35 touchdowns while helping the Vikings win 14 games.

Yet despite Darnold’s success, the Vikings opted not to re-sign him in the 2025 offseason. Minnesota instead decided to move forward with McCarthy as the long-term answer after using a first-round pick on him in the 2024 draft. McCarthy would go on to struggle in his second season, dealing with injuries and inconsistency that left Minnesota’s offence puffing feathers.

Meanwhile, Darnold found a new home with the Seattle Seahawks, and his performance there has vaulted his team into Super Bowl LX. Under centre for Seattle, he delivered over 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns, finishing strong with a dominant performance in the NFC Championship Game.

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Super Bowl LX, between Darnold’s Seahawks and the New England Patriots, will be played on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. The game is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET, with hours of pregame coverage, ceremonies and analysis leading into the opening kickoff live on AS USA.

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