Sam Darnold has seemingly made an enemy out of everybody with his performance in his playoff debut. Fans have not held back on social media following the Minnesota Vikings' Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams, including former Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers quarterback Kurt Benkert.
Benkert ruthlessly mocked Darnold's poor performance in the loss while shooting a stray bullet at himself. The former journeyman turned businessman ridiculed the Vikings quarterback with a common meme implying he lost a bet. Benkert posted a picture of himself with the caption, “Sam Darnold when I have US currency on him.”
Unfortunately, Benkert was far from the only fan who lost money betting on Darnold. The 27-year-old threw for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception while taking nine sacks en route to a lopsided 27-9 loss. The majority of public bets were on the Vikings to win the game and cover the 2.5-point spread.
Following a promising start to the year, the Vikings' seasons shockingly came to a close with their loss to the Rams. Minnesota played in Detroit in Week 18 for a chance to claim the No. 1 seed in the NFC but is now eliminated from the playoffs just two weeks later.
Darnold's subpar performance in the loss led to thousands of insults on social media. Many were from Vikings fans who believe the team should turn to rookie J.J. McCarthy in the summer. Darnold will become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason but is expected to re-sign with the team despite McCarthy's looming return from injury.
Benkert and Darnold were never teammates but played in the NFL from 2018 to 2022. They entered the league at the same time, with Darnold selected as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and Benkert signing with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent.
Kurt Benkert's career and life after football

Benkert spent his first three years with the Falcons but never saw a regular-season snap. He spent the 2021 season backing up Aaron Rodgers with the Packers, where he took two snaps, both as game-ending kneel-downs. His off-the-field personality made him one of the most-liked backup quarterbacks on social media.
Following the 2021 season, Benkert spent most of the following year with the San Francisco 49ers' practice squad. During the spring of 2023, he played for the Houston Roughnecks and San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL before retiring from professional football.
Since then, Benkert has remained involved with the sport on social media and YouTube. The 29-year-old went on to found a backyard football company known as ‘The Dime Lab' shortly after.