Poor Sam Darnold. The downtrodden quarterback came oh so close to completing a redemption arc for the ages before it all fell apart in the most brutal two-game span you’re ever likely to see. Darnold had his Minnesota Vikings fighting for the top seed in the NFC in the season finale before getting mauled by the Detroit Lions. Then, one week later, Darnold crumbled under the pressure of the playoffs in a historic beatdown at the hands of the LA Rams.

Now the Vikings face a pretty tough question. Do they believe Darnold is the quarterback who led them to a 14-3 record and had them looking like a Super Bowl contender at times this season? Or do they view him as a merely adequate QB who isn’t capable of winning the big game (any big game).

Hall of Fame passer Kurt Warner weighed in on the subject. “If you feel like you have enough in JJ McCarthy you move on, but if you're not sure I think it's hard to let a guy that did that well out of the building,” Warner said of Darnold per the Dan Patrick Show on X.

Darnold got his opportunity with the Vikings when McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury during the preseason. The seventh-year veteran easily put up the best numbers of his career, completing 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Should the Vikings keep Sam Darnold?

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) is pursued by Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse (8) during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Everything was going great until the pressure ramped up and Darold melted down. He took an incredible nine sacks against the Rams in the Wild Card round, essentially eliminating any chance the Vikings had of advancing to the Division game.

At one point, it appeared Darnold would have an eager free agency market and would easily land a long-term deal in the neighborhood of $150 million. But after his two game dry heave, he’s now expected to command money similar to middle of the pack passers like Geno Smith or Baker Mayfield.

The Vikings could franchise tag Darnold as an insurance policy for McCarthy, just in case the young QB isn’t fully healthy at the start of the 2025 season or proves he’s not ready to start. While that would earn Darnold around $40 million for one season, it’s nowhere near the generational wealth he was on the precipice of attaining.

It will be interesting to see how the Vikings handle the quarterback situation in the offseason. At this point, Minnesota knows what they have in Darnold better than any other franchise. Either way, Darnold should start somewhere next season. But he may never recover from the two-game skid that cost him the bag.