Sam Darnold gets brutally honest about rough end to his Vikings stint

Sam Darnold knows he began his Minnesota Vikings stint with a bang and ended it with a whimper last season.

The 28-year-old quarterback had a breakout campaign in Minnesota following six uninspiring seasons to start his NFL career. Darnold earned his first Pro Bowl nod after throwing for 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He even earned a few MVP votes for leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record, tied for second-best in the NFC.

However, Darnold’s Cinderella run ended unceremoniously. He turned into a pumpkin during Minnesota’s critical Week 18 matchup against the Detroit Lions. With a first-round bye on the line, Darnold went 18/41 for 166 yards without a touchdown in a 31-9 loss. He wasn’t any better in the Vikings’ 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round.

Darnold used a different farm yield to describe what happened to him and his team to end the 2024 campaign.

“For lack of a better term, we laid an egg as an offense,” Darnold told The Athletic’s Michael Silver. “And I think, for me personally, that sucks. I felt like we were a really good team, but at the end of the day — and this is gonna sound a little pessimistic — but when you get to the end of it and you don’t win the whole thing, you failed

“I feel like I could have played way better, to be completely honest with you. I feel I didn’t play up to my standard. I truly feel that way. I feel like if I would have just played better, I would’ve been able to give the team a chance.”

The Seattle Seahawks, who signed Darnold in free agency in March, are banking on his early-2024 form being closer to reality than his final two weeks.

While Seattle inked the veteran QB to a three-year deal worth over $100 million, an interesting wrinkle in the contract would enable the Seahawks to cut ties with Darnold early should he “lay an egg” again. Consider it an egg insurance clause.