Justin Jefferson 'Definitely' Thinks Vikings Would've Done Better With Sam Darnold

Sam Darnold has quarterbacked the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl after leaving the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason, and Justin Jefferson can't help but think what could've been if the quarterback remained in the Twin Cities for another year.

In fact, the Vikings' star wide receiver admitted in an interview with USA Today that he thinks his team would've done better than the 9-8 record they posted in 2025 had they kept Darnold. 

"Everyone knows the difficulty of the quarterback position this year, how we were dealt it, but having a quarterback that already had a season under his belt with us, knew the plays, knew the playbook, knew the players, throwing to me, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, all these guys, I definitely feel like we would've done better," Darnold said. "But it is what it is, it’s on to newer and better things. But I’m definitely happy and proud of him that he is able to reach it this year."

Of course, the Vikings opted to go with J.J. McCarthy, who the team selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, at quarterback this season, even after Darnold's strong 2024 campaign. McCarthy struggled on the field and had multiple injury concerns during the 2025 season, completing 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 10 games.

Darnold, meanwhile, threw for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions to help the Seahawks go 14-3 in the regular season. He's also played well this postseason, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns in the Seahawks' NFC Championship Game victory over the Los Angeles Rams last week. That's a major step up from how Darnold played in the Vikings' final two games last season, when they put up just 18 total points as they saw