The Minnesota Vikings took a gamble last offseason when they decided to stick with unproven quarterback JJ McCarthy. He was just a year into his career and suffered a torn meniscus, but the promise of being a top-10 pick made teams almost feel compelled to hold out on him.
However, they decided to move on from Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold, who combined for 7,149 yards and 49 touchdowns in 2025. So while Vikings fans got to watch Sam Darnold’s impressive passing totals in the Super Bowl, they were left picking up the pieces of a broken 2025.
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Vikings insider Alec Lewis spoke about the decision to let Darnold go, especially as he advances to the biggest game of the year. He shared details of the latest episode The Alec Lewis Show.
Lewis explained, “There’s also the question of how McCarthy is going to handle Darnold’s continued presence. Will taking a step back for another season help or hurt the long-term development of this young man? Will it help or hurt him becoming one of the leaders in the locker room? … McCarthy, how is he going to handle this? How?” [McCarthy’s agent] Will the representative handle it? What does this mean for his long-term development? “
The team making this decision for this reason is not ideal, plain and simple. The Vikings must start making decisions without outside noise and pressure. Letting McCarthy marinate for another season won’t spoil anything, but now they’re forced to live with the decision they made while watching Sam Darnold play in Super Bowl X.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Insider discusses why Minnesota Vikings are letting Sam Darnold walk