Two weeks ago, the Minnesota Vikings had a legitimate dilemma on their hands.
Against all odds, Sam Darnold had played like a franchise quarterback.
He looked poised to sign a big-money contract and maybe even force the Vikings’ hand to trade J.J. McCarthy.
Then, after watching him regress to his old ways in the two biggest games of the season, the narrative has changed entirely.
That was evident in the latest edition of “Maggie and Perloff.”
There, Maggie Gray called Darnold a ‘high-end backup,’ stating that whoever signs him to a big-money contract would eventually be fired over that decision.
"Sam Darnold is a high-end backup. That's his future."@MaggieGray and @andrewperloff disagree over whether NFL teams will still clamor for Sam Darnold to be their QB1 next season pic.twitter.com/E0rEHjS5SS
— Maggie and Perloff (@MaggieandPerl) January 14, 2025
Gray thinks Darnold shouldn’t be a starter in the league.
That’s a harsh statement for someone who was a legitimate MVP candidate at one point in the season.
Also, we’re talking about someone who led his team to a 14-win season.
Nevertheless, we’ve seen Darnold at his highest and lowest, and the lows have been lower and more frequent.
Some doubted that he could get the job done in the playoffs, and then, like clockwork, he turned into the Sam Darnold of the past.
His last two games have put him in a tough spot.
However, given the number of teams that need a quarterback, he will most likely get a chance to start somewhere.
Whether that will get a GM fired in time remains to be seen.
NEXT: J.J. McCarthy Posts 2-Word Message After Vikings' Playoff Loss
