On Sunday, Minnesota Vikings fans watched as Sam Darnold helped lead the Seattle Seahawks to a spot in the Super Bowl by defeating the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship.
Darnold was, of course, the Vikings' starting quarterback last season, and last March he wound up parting with Minnesota to sign a multi-year contract with the Seahawks. It was a decision by the Vikings that many agreed with at the time, but now has much less support, given what he just helped Seattle accomplish.
Despite what some might want others to believe, Minnesota did reportedly present Darnold with a contract offer this past offseason. Obviously, it wasn't one that met his needs, and he chose to take his talents to the Seahawks instead.
What did the Minnesota Vikings offer Sam Darnold before he signed with the Seattle Seahawks?
Back in June, The Athletic's Michael Silver shared that the Vikings offered a one-year deal to Darnold this past offseason before he officially became a free agent.
Then, in November, NFL Media's Tom Pelissero shared that Minnesota's offer to Darnold was similar to the one that he received from Seattle, since the deal he signed with the Seahawks was also essentially a one-year commitment that they would be able to get out of in 2026 without much hassle if they wanted to.
Ultimately, Darnold signed with Seattle, and it's safe to assume that a big reason he left Minnesota had to do with J.J. McCarthy.
With the Seahawks, he was given the No. 1 quarterback job with no questions asked. The Vikings couldn't guarantee that for Darnold since they invested the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on McCarthy, and they wanted to start moving forward with the young passer.
Even if Darnold opened the 2025 season as Minnesota's starting signal-caller, anytime he struggled, he was going to hear calls from the fan base for the team to put McCarthy in. That pressure wasn't going to exist in Seattle.
So, for those out there who are attempting to claim that the Vikings just let Darnold walk without an offer, that's just not true.
Was Minnesota honest and up front with him about not being able to guarantee that he would remain the team's starting quarterback during the entire 2025 season? Yes, they were.
Is it fair to question that approach by the Vikings? Absolutely, but let's not pretend that Minnesota showed zero interest in re-signing Darnold. They did.
Even if it wasn't the correct amount of interest, the Vikings still made an attempt to see if Darnold would be willing to return (on their terms, of course).