Justin Jefferson Believes Vikings Were Better Off With Seahawks' Sam Darnold

The Seattle Seahawks have had two consecutive starting quarterbacks who were previously castaways from other teams — turning previously heralded, forgotten draft picks into successful eras for the team.

Sam Darnold's era, however, has already been far more prolific than Geno Smith's. Just one season after winning 14 regular-season games with the Minnesota Vikings, Darnold got the Seahawks back in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2015.

Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson isn't blind to what Darnold is doing with the Seahawks, and he knows the team may have made a mistake.

"Everyone knows the difficulty of the quarterback position this year, how we were dealt it," Jefferson said, per USA Today. "But having a quarterback that already had a season under his belt with us, knew the plays, knew the playbook, knew the players, throwing to me, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, all these guys, I definitely feel like we would have done better."

The Seahawks, Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders were all connected in a unique way this year.

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) runs the ball against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half in an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Seattle moved on from Smith, who never won more than 10 games as the team's starter, and many thought Darnold was a downgrade. The Vikings let Darnold walk, opting to hand the keys to 2024 No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy, who was coming off a season-ending meniscus tear as a rookie.

The Raiders, led by former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, went back to Smith, putting faith in what the two accomplished together in Seattle. The Seahawks came out by far the biggest winners, with a 14-3 record and a trip to Super Bowl LX.

Minnesota (9-8) remains uncertain if the oft-injured McCarthy will be the answer, and Las Vegas (3-14) is doing yet another complete reset of the coaching staff and possibly the roster.

The Seahawks beat the Vikings 26-0 in Week 13, their second victory in a current nine-game win streak going into the Super Bowl.

The success of this year's Seattle team is not only a credit to Darnold, but also to head coach Mike Macdonald and general manager John Schneider for acquiring the final few pieces the Seahawks needed to be Super Bowl contenders.

Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald speaks on the podium after defeating the Los Angeles Rams in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

While the criticism rolled in, the Seahawks "did not care," as Macdonald now famously said postgame after defeating the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 in the NFC Championship. The Vikings are left wondering what could have been.

"It's definitely tough. It's tough to watch," Jefferson said. "Of course, I love that [Darnold is] in the Super Bowl. I'm happy for him, I want nothing but the best for him, especially the way his journey was at first, people doubting him and people not giving him the respect. Now they're giving him that respect. Now they're seeing that he's a top-tier quarterback in this league."

Jefferson finished with a career-low 1,048 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 2025 after catching 103 passes for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns with Darnold in 2024. McCarthy played just 10 games, forcing Carson Wentz and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer to fill out the other seven starts.

"Of course, selfishly, I wish that he had done that for us last year, but to see him blossom and bounce back right after last year and make it this year, I'm all happy for him, and I hope he wins," Jefferson added. "I'm rooting for Seattle, and I think Seattle's going to win."

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