Future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski appeared on Fox NFL Sunday with a blunt message after Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold threw a pair of interceptions in the first half of a Week 9 matchup the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“He’s hurting the team,” Gronkowski said, referring to co-host Michael Strahan’s critique that Darnold would have to avoid mistakes after he threw two interceptions in Week 9 against the Indianapolis Colts. “Sam Darnold cannot throw these picks. He’s doing it again, Sam Darnold is hurting the team.”
Darnold finished with three interceptions in the 12-7 victory. He had a fourth nullified due to a penalty on a deep throw to Justin Jefferson. It was a disappointing showing against a Jaguars defense that had just two interceptions all season and blitzed at a league-low 15.2% rate.
Darnold has thrown five interceptions in the past two games, where the Vikings have dominated time of possession but come away with only single-score victories. It is his first multi-interception performance of the season. He also has three fumbles on the year.
NFL Fans React to Sam Darnold Meltdown
After Darnold’s meltdown, the “seeing ghosts” memes came out in full force on Sunday.
SKOR North’s Judd Zulgad and Phil Mackey reacted to Darnold’s first half. Mackey made a strong assertion, saying the Vikings “have outgrown Sam Darnold.”
The calls for backup Nick Mullens grew on X (formerly Twitter), which ESPN’s Kevin Seifert addressed.
“If you’re asking for Nick Mullens to replace Sam Darnold, I get it. But I’m sure you recall Mullens’ own problems with turnovers when he played extensively last season,” Seifert wrote.
“Sam Darnold really is the difference between the Vikings being a legit SB contender and the no-man’s-land they’re heading towards. This sucks,” one fan wrote.
“Sam Darnold won’t stop throwing redzone picks until the Vikings go ahead and lose this game. Dude is committed to the bit,” CBS Sports analyst Jason La Canfora wrote.
J.J. McCarthy Calls Grow Louder From Vikings Fans
The Vikings’ season was written off once rookie J.J. McCarthy underwent season-ending surgery on his meniscus.
Darnold carried Minnesota to a 5-0 start that will seemingly keep the Vikings in playoff contention for the remainder of the season.
But while Darnold may have salvaged the Vikings’ season, the calls for McCarthy have grown louder.
It’s a moot point with McCarthy sidelined for the season, but it does capture the sentiment in Minnesota that Darnold is merely playing for his next team this season.
So far, he’s presented a strong case for a lucrative multi-year deal to a starting quarterback next year. However, after Sunday’s showing, Darnold may be losing stock in free agency.
That could actually benefit the chances that the Vikings re-sign him if he cannot find a situation and contract to his liking in free agency.
McCarthy is Minnesota’s plan for the 2025 season, but if he needs more time, coming back from injury, Darnold could sign a more modest contract with being McCarthy’s backup in mind.
It was just one bad from Darnold, but his performance will continue to be under a microscope going down the final stretch of the season.
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