The Super Bowl QB Room that the Vikings Completely Declined
The Seattle Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl. Mike Macdonald’s defense deserves a pile of credit, but then there’s the quarterback spot.
Most notably, Sam Darnold is leading the QB room. Minnesota could have retained him, if only through the franchise tag. Supporting the suddenly-clutch Darnold is Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe, both of whom could have been snagged had Minnesota desired to do so back in March and April of 2025.
The Super Bowl QB Room
Opposite Seattle is the New England Patriots, a team that has rallied behind Mike Vrabel to get to the final game of the playoffs.
Of course, there’s a pile of attention on Drake Maye. The young quarterback, per common understanding, was coveted by those with power in the Twin Cities. The 23-year-old passer stands at 6’4″ and weighs 225 pounds. As a rookie, Maye had some flaws to work through (who doesn’t?), but he has since exploded.
The 2025 season involved Mr. Maye completing 72.0% of his passes for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. Already, the kid is elite. He got named to the Pro Bowl (a game he’ll miss due to being in the Super Bowl) and was honored as a second-team All Pro.
The availability of Maye as a trade target, or lack thereof, remains a source of some mystery in Minnesota. What isn’t mysterious is whether Sam Darnold could have been retained.
Even after all he has gone through, Darnold is still just 28. He’s coming off a season where he completed 67.7% of his passes for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Not sizzling like Maye, but QB1 production.
Last night, Darnold put together a dominant game. The journeyman bust who is now a franchise cornerstone went 25/36 for 346 yards and 3 touchdowns. The passer rating finished off at a fantastic 127.8.
Put simply, Darnold was elite in the largest game of his career. As a Viking, the Rams were his kryptonite. So, too, did he have issues overcoming them while beginning with the Seahawks. Not so in the NFC Championship Game. Sam Darnold was perhaps the catalyst for Seattle’s arrival at the Super Bowl.
The QB2 in Seattle is Drew Lock and the QB3 is Jalen Milroe.
In Lock, Seattle is employing a reasonably promising backup passer. The No. 42 selection from 2019 has plenty of talent but is best served by a job as an upside QB2. He got signed by Seattle as a free agent in the most recent offseason, agreeing to settle into employment in the Emerald City for a two-year deal for $5 million overall (bargain).
Once upon a time, PurplePTSD suggested that Lock was the best QB2 option for the Vikings to add.
Next up is Milroe. The rookie quarterback isn’t viewed as someone to play in the immediate. Rather, Milroe is a talented quarterback who is wisely being given plenty of runway to develop. Bringing him to Seattle involved the Seahawks using the No. 92 selection on him in the 2025 NFL Draft.
In time, perhaps, Milroe can ascend to being the main backup while then working toward challenging for a starter’s job. If so, then the 3rd will have been more than worth it.
Stepping back helps to clarify a central reality: all three of those passers got added in the most recent offseason, the most prominent of whom was a Vikings employee before being allowed to depart. The other two got added at modest levels — just $2.5 million per season and then as a 3rd-Round pick — suggesting that Minnesota could have figured out a way to construct this precise quarterback room.
The Vikings finished the 2025 season at 9-8 and outside of the playoffs. Most concerning was the play of J.J. McCarthy, especially given his already ample history of injury.
Minnesota only has McCarthy and Max Brosmer under contract at quarterback presently.
