NFL free agency: Insider says Vikings wanted Seahawks QB Sam Darnold back

Ross Tucker is projecting a huge drop-off for Minnesota this year as they go from Darnold to JJ McCarthy at quarterback.

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks took a big risk moving on from Geno Smith when they did. After all, it appeared that the 2025 free agent and quarterback classes were both pretty weak - so the chances were high that they would be getting a downgrade at quarterback. The best name available was Sam Darnold, but there was no guarantee that he'd actually hit the market.

At the time it seemed crazy that the Minnesota Vikings might move on from Darnold after he led them to 14 wins and played at a sensational level - especially compared to the version of Darnold we saw early in his NFL career.

However, the Vikings did in fact let Darnold test the open market, where the Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers were waiting. It's no accident that right now Minnesota and Pittsburgh might have the very worst quarterback rooms in the league - even in a world where the New Orleans Saints exist.

We have a feeling that after a few weeks of watching JJ McCarthy and Daniel Jones a lot of Vikings fans are going to miss Darnold. According to Ross Tucker, the Vikings actually did want Darnold back, no matter what they might say about how much they love McCarthy.

"It would be unusual if he didn't have some serious growing pains. And I'll say this too, guys, no matter what the Vikings say about McCarthy and how much they love him, and you know, he's the guy, they wanted (Sam) Darnold back."

McCarthy might very well go on to have a great NFL career, but as Tucker mentioned this will essentially be his rookie season - and he's coming from an extremely run-heavy offense at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh. Going in, McCarthy was considered the rawest of the top-six prospects in the loaded 2024 quarterback class.

It would come as a pretty big surprise if McCarthy has a strong rookie year - let alone play anything like what the Seahawks are likely to get out of Darnold, even if he has an inferior supporting cast. Tucker has Minnesota finishing with just 7-8 wins in 2025.

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