There is no doubt that the Minnesota Vikings had a brilliant regular-season performance in 2024. The overall record of 14-3 tied for the third-best record in the league with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles behind the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions. Little was expected from the Vikings this season because they had given up veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins and had brought in Sam Darnold as his replacement.
Darnold was clearly just another guy when the Vikings signed him to a 1-year, $10 million contract. He had played in the NFL for six seasons with the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers, and he had not distinguished himself at any point. The Vikings looked at Darnold as a placeholder for rookie J.J. McCarthy, who had been selected with the No. 10 selection in the first round of last April’s draft.
McCarthy had led head coach Jim Harbaugh and the University of Michigan to the national championship in 2023 and the Vikings were looking at him to take over as the team’s QB1 because of his skill, arm strength, accuracy and athleticism.
However, McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus in the Vikings in the team’s first preseason game and he missed the entire season. Darnold went from replacement quarterback to QB1 and he outperformed all expectations. He led the Vikings on winning streaks of 5 and 9 games, and he threw for 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
On the surface, the Vikings have found their quarterback of the present and future because Darnold is 27 years old and has seemingly found his way.
However, it will cost the Vikings big money to bring Darnold back. He may be among 3 key veterans that the Vikings part company in the coming weeks and months.
Darnold was a star for Vikings, but can he repeat his success
As the 2025 season rolled along, there were weeks that Darnold did everything that Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell asked and led the team to multiple big victories.
But there are key questions. Can Darnold do it again or was last year something of a fluke? How much do the Vikings have to pay to keep him and will an enormous raise keep them from signing other key players that will help them win playoff games? Is Darnold really a better quarterback than a healthy McCarthy?
There are too many questions that O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have to answer. Darnold is a good quarterback and O’Connell brought the best out of him. However, Darnold struggled in the regular-season finale against the Detroit Lions and the Wild Card playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams.
In a matter of less than a week, the Vikings’ memorable season was short-circuited.
In the end, the cost of bringing Darnold back — at least $35 million per year — will help the Vikings make the decision to let their star quarterback go.
It is a decision that could blow up in their faces, but it is also one that could help the Vikings reach a championship level they have never been able to achieve.
Harrison Smith has been brilliant for the Vikings, but age has caught up with him
Smith has been a top performer for 13 years and he has given the team everything throughout his career. The former Notre Dame star and first-round selection in the 2012 NFL draft has been to Pro Bowl six times and has been an All-Pro three times.
He has been something of a coach on the field for the Minnesota defense throughout the second half of his career and his ability to read opposing quarterbacks has been a big asset for the team.
Smith is coming off a season with 87 tackles, 3 interception, 10passes defensed and 1 fumble recovery. His best season may have been in 2017 when he had 4 interceptions, 12 passes defensed, 78 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 3 quarterback hits.
As good as he has been, Smith is 36 and keeping up with the fastest receivers and tackling the most powerful running backs could be problematic at this point in his career.
Center Garret Bradbury may not be able to handle the best interior defensive linemen
Bradbury has been a fixture for the Vikings in the middle of their offensive line since he arrived as a first-round draft choice from North Carolina State in 2019.
At the time the Vikings drafted him, there was some discussion of whether he was big and strong enough to handle the toughest interior defensive linemen. Bradbury is listed at 6-3 and 300 pounds, and that should be big enough to handle some of the tougher competitors.
Bradbury has been solid throughout his career, but when asked to compete against the biggest, strongest and meanest competitors, he has come out on the short end of the battle more often than not.
The Vikings need blockers in the middle of the offensive line who can overpower defenders. Bradbury can’t do that and the Vikings need to part company with him.
