Throughout the majority of the season Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold looked like he had completely turned things around and cemented himself as one of the premier passers in the NFL.
Unfortunately for Darnold and the Vikings, in his final two appearances of the season, Darnold regressed back to a version of himself closer to his days with the New York Jets.
The regression contributed to the Vikings first failing to clinch the number one overall seed in the NFC, and then their season, as they were eliminated from the playoffs by the underdog Los Angeles Rams.
Many have speculated that the two sordid performances to close out the season will cost Darnold tens of millions of dollars, as he is set to hit the open market in free agency in the looming offseason.
Darnold addressed that speculation with the media.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m not worried about that. That’s in the past,” Darnold said, according to Pro Football Talk. “Right now, I’m just thinking about, like I said, what I could’ve done better today and just really spending time with the guys in the locker room.
“That’s really all I’m focused on right now. Because at the end of the day, in the NFL, you only get one season with one team with everyone together. And today wasn’t our day. It’s as simple as that.”
It’ll be interesting to see what sort of market Darnold commands in free agency.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.