Vikings Could Reunite With Sam Darnold Next Year Based on Recent Report

The Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Sam Darnold got what they needed from one another last season and then moved on, but a reunion could be in the works sooner than later.

Darnold dipped out of Minneapolis for a nine-figure gig with the Seattle Seahawks after a Pro Bowl season that ended with 4,300 passing yards, 35 touchdowns and a 14-win campaign that landed Minnesota in the playoffs.

Minnesota got the stop-gap year it needed, as J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury after the team selected him with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The Vikings were one Week-18 win over the Detroit Lions away from the No. 1 seed in the NFC, a bye week and a home contest against the Washington Commanders for the right to go to the conference championship game.

That scenario for the Vikings may have worked out as poorly as it did for the Lions, though no one will ever really know how Minnesota might have played with a week off to scheme for Washington and get healthy and rested.

The point is the team was highly competitive with Darnold under center and wasn’t too far away from the ultimate goal. Minnesota is hopeful that it can replicate last year’s success with McCarthy under center, though there are a vast number of unknowns given the fact he’s never taken a regular-season snap at the NFL level.

A dual report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk paints a picture of Darnold having one year to prove himself in Seattle, and the Vikings giving McCarthy one year of rope before potentially pursuing a veteran in 2026 to compete for the starting job.