The Minnesota Vikings’ miserable season came under the spotlight in Week 13 when the Sam Darnold-led Seattle Seahawks trounced the quarterback’s former team by a 26-0 margin. While Darnold wasn’t dominant in the contest, he remained a steady presence under center for a playoff-bound team that is currently tied for the best record in the NFC.

Minnesota, meanwhile, would have to win out just to finish above .500 and is all but eliminated from postseason contention after its latest disappointing defeat. The club’s path to this point proves the adage that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, a hard lesson the rest of the league should glean something from.

The Vikings should have realized that they had something special with Darnold and never let him get away this past offseason—especially without a surefire star waiting in the wings to replace him.

Darnold wasn’t bridging the gap for a proven Pro Bowler working his way back from injury or even keeping the seat warm for a generational prospect taken at the very top of a draft. He was instead excelling in place of J.J. McCarthy, a raw developmental prospect whose career had already taken a wrong turn when a torn meniscus kept him sidelined for his entire rookie year.

While Minnesota did invest the No. 10 overall pick into McCarthy, the front office should have known that even the loftiest selections at the quarterback position have historically faced long odds of panning out.

Per Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano, “In 20 years of NFL Drafts, from 2002 through 2023, a startling 39 of the 61 quarterbacks picked in the first round (63.9 percent) were more of a “miss” than a “hit.” That included “misses” on more than half of the quarterbacks picked in the top 10 (21 of 37, 56.8 percent)”.

Even Darnold himself was considered a bust for much of his career and never came close to living up to expectations for the New York Jets, the team that selected him No. 3 overall in 2018. It took Darnold seven seasons and stops with four different organizations before he finally earned a Pro Bowl nod in Minnesota.

The Vikings have been learning the hard way that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, having lost two experienced quarterbacks in the span of a single offseason.

Despite their stellar campaign with Darnold at the helm and knowing exactly what they had in a 28-year-old on the cusp of free agency, the Vikings ultimately failed to make a strong enough offer to retain the veteran when he hit the open market.

While Darnold’s run in the Twin Cities did finish on a low note when the team lost the battle for the No. 1 seed in the finale and subsequently crashed out in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, the QB still led the team to an impressive 14-3 record (a marked improvement over Minnesota’s 7-10 finish in 2023) and proved himself to be a great fit for the roster. The first-round pick-turned-journeyman clearly worked well within head coach Kevin O’Connell’s system and could have truly blossomed with job security and a full offseason to prepare as the QB1.

Although NFL insider Tom Pelissero found that the Vikings’ brass did put a contract offer on the table that was “similar” in value to the three-year, $100.5 million deal Darnold eventually signed with Seattle, Minnesota’s one-year offer implied a lack of trust and commitment to a player who had just thrown for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns.

Darnold wisely opted to avoid the nightmare of facing a potential quarterback controversy any time he had an off day by accepting a much more secure role in the Pacific Northwest.  

To make matters worse, the Vikings also elected not to make a serious effort to retain Daniel Jones, who had initially chosen Minnesota as the place to resuscitate his flailing career following his release by the New York Giants midway through the 2024 season.

Jones would spurn the Vikings in free agency despite the club reportedly extending an offer that had more total and guaranteed dollars than the one-year, $14 million contract he agreed to with the Indianapolis Colts.

Per The Athletic’s Michael Silver, O’Connell had pitched Jones on competing against McCarthy for the QB1 role in training camp, but Jones also believed McCarthy’s presence would be problematic and elected to take the clearer path towards starting in Indy.

Darnold and Jones have both thrived as the starting quarterbacks for contending clubs this season. Each passer has led their respective squad to at least eight wins over the first 12 games of the 2025 season and are delivering on the contracts they signed in lieu of remaining in Minnesota.

The Vikings’ controversial decision to part ways with their veteran quarterbacks and instead forge ahead with the unproven McCarthy is proving to be an immensely regrettable one, a potentially franchise-altering misstep that could come back to haunt the club for years.

McCarthy has already missed half of the 2025 season with various injuries and hasn’t fared well at all during the limited number of games he has been available for. He’s 2-4 across six starts, completing a paltry 54.1 percent of throws (by far the lowest in the league amongst players with at least 100 passing attempts) and has tallied just 929 yards and six touchdowns through the air.

While there’s still a chance that McCarthy eventually develops into a quality NFL starter, bright moments such as the fourth-quarter comeback he engineered in the opener have been too few and far between. The 22-year-old’s 10 interceptions and 20 sacks taken on just 159 passing attempts make for a highly concerning start to a career, one that could be effectively over—at least in Minnesota—soon if he doesn’t make major strides down the stretch.

After missing Sunday’s matchup due to the league’s concussion protocol, McCarthy’s next opportunity to turn things around will likely come Week 14 against the Washington Commanders. While there won’t be any immediate pressure for McCarthy’s job given low stakes and putrid outing Max Brosmer (Minnesota’s third starting quarterback this season) had against Seattle, the second-year passer will effectively be auditioning for his job over the final month of this lost campaign.

The stark contrast between Minnesota’s former quarterbacks and its current one should serve as a cautionary tale to the rest of the league and be remembered by decision-makers when the offseason rolls around and tough personnel choices are looming.

After Week 18 wraps up, Darnold and Jones should find themselves preparing for postseason action—potentially even enjoying a first-round bye in the former’s case—while McCarthy will be clearing out his locker. It’s a situation that could have been avoided had the Vikings simply committed to Darnold.