Sam Darnold "totally understands" Vikings' decision to move on from him
It's easier to take the high road when you're sitting on top of the mountain. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, who won the Super Bowl in his first season in Seattle, has no hard feelings about Minnesota's decision to move on from him after a 14-3 season as the team's starter. "I totally understand the move to go with the younger quarterback on a rookie deal, and signing these veteran players that you can maybe pay a little bit more while he's on his rookie deal, especially if you believe in him," Darnold said in a recent appearance on The San Clemente Podcast .
"Yeah, the business side of it, I totally understand. And like, I think J. J.
[McCarthy] is a good player. I think he's going to be a really good player in this league. I truly believe that.
And, you know, for them to see that and be like, "Alright, we're gonna, you know, Sam, that was a great year,' but like the business part of it, it was like, 'OK, like, you know, I totally understand. '" It was perhaps more than a business consideration. Darnold's performance in a Week 18, winner-take-all, game at Detroit raised questions about his ability to deliver in the biggest moments.
(The wild-card loss eight days later was much more of a total-team failure, especially on the offensive side of the ball. ) The Vikings ultimately had to decide whether to make the kind of commitment to Darnold that could have kept McCarthy on the bench for too long. Still, it's not as if Darnold broke the bank.