Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold reflected on his ending with the Minnesota Vikings.
Speaking in a recent interview with The Athletic, Darnold admitted the offseason exit was “tough to swallow,” acknowledging expectations and his own shortcomings down the stretch.
Despite an impressive, overachieving regular season, the Vikings greatly underwhelmed in the playoffs, losing 27-9 to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round.
“For lack of a better term, we laid an egg as an offense,” Darnold said. “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.”
Darnold, who signed a one-year, $10 million “prove-it” deal in March 2024 with Minnesota, became the starter for a team expected to be one of the worst in the NFC and likely to turn to rookie first-rounder JJ McCarthy, who missed the season with an injury, at some point.
Darnold put together career-highs with 4,319 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, a 102.5 passer rating and his first Pro Bowl selection.
The Vikings surged to an impressive 14–3 record, with Darnold proving to be a steadying presence during the regular season, but lost 31-9 to the Lions in the final week to miss out on the division title.
The breakout led to a three-year deal with Seattle worth north of $100 million.
“I think without a doubt, he’s got his best football ahead of him,” former Rams receiver and current Seahawk teammate Cooper Kupp told The Athletic. “I love his competitiveness. He’s not OK with things being just OK.”
Darnold added, “I learned a lot last season, from those two games especially. At the end of the day, you go through those experiences, you learn, and you get better. I try every single day to get better. That’s it.”