Sam Darnold signed with the Seattle Seahawks, the team that coach Macdonald is proud of, as a free agent after leaving the Minnesota Vikings. This season, he has emerged as one of the most effective QBs in the NFL and has led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl with strong play throughout the season. Though the Vikings’ GM released him to improve their roster planning and long-term flexibility.
As per DailyMail, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah opened up on this discussion of releasing him as a free agent. The GM did not explicitly mention that he regretted doing that, but spoke about how he still thinks about specific conditions, and that Darnold had to go.
In a tweet, Kwesi mentioned in the press conference, “So there are nights you wake up and stare at the ceiling and ask yourself… I always go back to the process and what we thought at the time.” He reflected on the decision to let Darnold enter free agency, noting the team stands by its reasoning while acknowledging areas for better execution.
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Darnold’s Super Bowl Run Highlights Vikings’ Tough Decision
GM Kwesi is referring to Darnold indirectly to clarify how certain decisions to ensure the betterment of a team can make even the front office think otherwise. These decisions are made not only to provide the team’s progress but also to give players chances, and Darnold’s case is a practical example of this.
Darnold has been quite productive this season, with stats that have taken him to the Super Bowl. The quarterback has a completion percentage of around 68 percent with 25 touchdowns and over 4000 yards passing this season. With these, he could be seen as the central piece for Seattle, who has to maintain this standard in the Super Bowl on February 8th.
With the Vikings choosing a new quarterback over Sam, he also performed well in his former team. They selected J.J. McCarthy in the first round as his successor, and in 2024, he had solid stats, recording 4,300 passing yards and 35 touchdowns, with a completion percentage of 67 percent. These numbers show that performance was not the primary factor in his departure. The team prioritized long-term roster flexibility in their decision.
Published: Jan 30, 2026 06:30 pm