Obviously, everyone knows what Sam Darnold just helped the Seattle Seahawks accomplish during the 2025 season. But we're here to talk about Darnold's 2024 campaign with the Minnesota Vikings, and without it, his success with the Seahawks in 2025 might have never even happened.
Darnold's one-year stint with the Vikings is arguably the most unique of any one-and-done starting quarterback in the franchise's history, given that he helped lead Minnesota to an astounding 14-3 record during the 2024 regular season.
Still, the Vikings felt the right decision was to move forward without him in 2025, and looking back, that decision has already become one of the team's biggest regrets in its entire existence.
Minnesota Vikings 1-Year Rentals: Sam Darnold in 2024
How it happened
After deciding to move on from veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins after six years with the franchise, Minnesota appeared ready to make an attempt at drafting a quarterback in the first round for the first time since 2014.
But to go along with a young quarterback, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell wanted to add a veteran with starting experience as well, and that's where Darnold came in.
Coming off a season with the San Francisco 49ers in which he spent most of it on the sideline as their backup behind Brock Purdy, Darnold entered free agency in 2024 with his career at a bit of a crossroads.
The former No. 3 overall draft pick was still only 26-years-old, but underwhelming stints with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers left many feeling like he was just another bust. However, those struggles in New York and Carolina didn't deter O'Connell from wanting to sign Darnold.
Instead, it likely brought back memories of when Minnesota's head coach was a struggling quarterback in the NFL, so he wanted to help Darnold avoid a similar fate in his playing career.
Eventually, Darnold and the Vikings agreed to a one-year contract worth $10 million, and little did he know, the next 12 months were about to dramatically alter his path in the league.
How it went
A few weeks after signing Darnold, Minnesota selected former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Despite the selection, most still assumed Darnold would begin the 2024 season as the Vikings' starting signal-caller and continue to play at least until the team felt McCarthy was ready enough to start under center.
Instead, McCarthy unfortunately suffered a knee injury in his first-ever preseason game with Minnesota that quickly closed the door on his entire rookie year, and the No. 1 quarterback job became Darnold's, whether the fanbase liked it or not.
Ironically enough, the Vikings' first game of the 2024 season was on the road against the New York Giants inside MetLife Stadium, a building where Darnold's NFL career began with the Jets.
In his return to the venue, fans got to witness a much different version of the quarterback, as he finished with an impressive 113.2 passer rating after completing 79.2 percent of his passes for 208 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception to help lead Minnesota to an easy 28-6 win over the Giants.
Darnold's next three starts for the Vikings went similarly, as the team began its season with a 4-0 record, and his performances ultimately resulted in him winning NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September.
After a scorching hot start to his tenure with Minnesota, Darnold came back down to earth a bit in October.
During a five-game stretch between Week 5 and Week 10, the veteran quarterback looked more like the guy from New York and Carolina as he turned the ball over nine times (seven interceptions and two lost fumbles), and the Vikings suffered their first two losses of the season in back-to-back games against the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams.
Thankfully, O'Connell was able to get his starting quarterback back on track, and after a miserable three-interception performance in a Week 10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Darnold went on to throw 18 touchdowns and just two interceptions in his next seven starts for Minnesota, all of which resulted in wins for the team as well.
In Week 18, the Vikings entered a matchup on the road against a very talented Lions team with the No. 1 seed in the NFC on the line. With how well Darnold had been playing, though, Minnesota felt good about its chances to defeat its division rival and capture home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Unfortunately, the old Darnold decided to make a return at the absolute worst possible time. Against Detroit, he managed to complete only 43.9 percent of his passes for just 166 yards and no touchdowns, and his performance was a large factor in the Vikings ultimately suffering a disappointing 31-9 loss.
Despite the struggles in Week 18, Minnesota still had confidence in the veteran quarterback and felt good about their chances entering a first-round playoff matchup against the Rams.
Once again, however, Darnold struggled significantly (62.5 completion percentage, 245 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, sacked nine times, and a 77.6 passer rating), and his performance proved to be too much for the Vikings to overcome as they suffered an opening-round postseason loss to Los Angeles.
How it ended
Even after putting together the best single season of his NFL career, Darnold's future with Minnesota was very much uncertain in 2025, especially after the way he struggled in his final two games.
Darnold and the Vikings had a lot of success during the 2024 season, but because of that success, he was going to cost a lot more for the team to bring him back in 2025.
With McCarthy still waiting in the wings, Minnesota eventually decided to take its chances with building around a cheap rookie contract rather than give a bunch of money to another veteran quarterback, as they had just done for so many years with Cousins.
So, Darnold and the Vikings went their separate ways in the 2025 offseason, and he quickly ended up signing a three-year contract with the Seahawks worth $100.5 million.
Minnesota fans were happy for Darnold while also simultaneously feeling excited about the team's future with McCarthy starting under center.
Unfortunately, that excitement quickly fizzled once the 2025 season began, as McCarthy struggled mightily, and Darnold helped lead Seattle enter the playoffs with a 14-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Eventually, the absolute worst-possible outcome for the Vikings came true, as the Seahawks went on to win the Super Bowl in Darnold's very first season with the team.
Yeah, because of course that happened.
This article is part of a TVA series about one-and-done starting quarterbacks throughout Vikings history. Check out all the former Minnesota quarterbacks know as the 1-Year Rentals here.
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