The Real Sam Darnold Blame Game

The real culprits who failed to keep Darnold before Seattle

In his first season with the Seattle Seahawks, Quarterback Sam Darnold has put the Pacific Northwest team toward their third Super Bowl apperance with an amazing season, going 14-3 and in the playoffs defeating all their opponents by destroying the 49ers in the Divisional Round, and edging the Los Angeles Rams in the Conference Final to set up a possible revenge game against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium.

The chatter among New York Sports Radio at WFAN, and on ESPN, has been the finger-pointing at the New York Jets for giving up on Sam Darnold after they drafted him and let him go during his rookie contract, and attempting to trade for Zach Wilson, which has been an abject failure from the time he was picked in the first round and was sold a bill of goods from his pro day at BYU. But who are the real culprits that failed just as much as the Jets have to allow the Seahawks to capture all the spoils?

The first finger of blame is toward the Jets

Without a doubt, the New York Jets did another disservice to the fans and to themselves after letting go of Sam Darnold by trading him to the Carolina Panthers for draft picks. While those picks did end up being for Garrett Wilson, Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, and several other players, some Jets fans were dreaming of seeing what would’ve happened if Darnold was still behind center, handing off and throwing the ball to these players who were drafted four years ago.

The beginning of the downfall was Woody Johnson accepting the Ambassador role for the United Kingdom from President Donald Trump’s first term in office, leaving his brother Christopher to take control of the team while he served our country in this position. That was the worst mistake Woody ever made, as his brother had no knowledge or any form of leadership as an owner to be the steward of the football team.

While he allowed General Manager Mike McCagnan to draft Darnold in 2018 and had an amazing first start on the road in Detroit against the Lions after coughing up a pick-six in his first possession, Darnold quickly recovered and performed a laugher as the Jets ran roughshod all over the Lions at Ford Field on Monday Night Football. After that season ended then head coach, Todd Bowles, was relieved of his duties in his fourth season.

Then came the offseason for 2019, making a head coaching search. The Jets had Mike McCarthy in the building after his tenure with the Green Bay Packers came to an end. It felt like the Jets were headed in the right direction when reports came out that the Packers contacted Christopher Johnson to inform him not to hire McCarthy. That level of incompetence from Christopher helped him not to hire his man, and the search somehow continued.

Then, former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos Quarterback Peyton Manning contacted Christopher to ask him to hire his former Offensive Coordinator and former Miami Dolphins Head Coach, Adam Gase, to be hired for the position. Like a fool, Christopher hired Gase, then somehow had Gase in his ear to fire Mike McCagnan just after the draft and before the 2019 season started. Then, bringing in Joe Douglas to take over the position.

A poor first half of the 2019 season, then a turnaround that many believed the Jets would be better in 2020, but the COVID Pandemic hit, and that was the season where the Jets had a 13-game losing streak, won their next two games against the Rams and the Browns, but lost their final game of the season in New England. In that season, Joe Douglas never gave Robbie Anderson a new deal, as Darnold’s most reliable offensive weapon was allowed to be signed by the Carolina Panthers.

After Gase was fired, Christopher hired then San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh as the new head coach, and then Woody returned from his Ambassadorship in the U.K. to retake control of the Jets. Then Darnold was traded to the Panthers for draft picks in the 2021 offseason and reunited with Anderson to team up again. While Saleh said he wanted to keep Darnold, there were conflicting reports of either Douglas not wanting Darnold or Woody telling Douglas that he wanted Zach Wilson instead of Darnold.

The Panthers were not a good team

While Darnold was in Charlotte for two seasons. He also struggled. While defeating the Jets in his first game of the 2021 season and hooking up a big TD Throw to Robbie Anderson like old times, he couldn’t show his best there and was let go after the 2022 season. While the Jets are a mess, the Panthers at that time were at the same level as the Jets are. Not a good football team, and he moved back home to California.

Purdy is the gold nugget at the Niners

Darnold was signed as the backup or the third string until Brock Purdy came out of nowhere after being drafted in the 2023 season. He lit up the scoreboard and showed why he was the new great quarterback that nobody thought he would be. He was Mr. Irrelevant at the 2023 Draft coming out of Iowa State, where his running back was Breece Hall. Even though Darnold did reach the Super Bowl with the Niners, they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs. While on the sidelines, not throwing the ball, he was just a cheerleader then.

Minnesota had him and then let him go

The Minnesota Vikings had a plan. Draft their future franchise quarterback and go through all the growing pains that comes withi it. While they did select J.J. McCarthy in the 2024 NFL Draft, their new prize suffered a season-ending injury, which allowed Darnold to take over the reins and gave the Vikings a memorable regular season. going 14-3, but lost the last game of the season that put them in the wildcard game, and lost the division to the Detroit Lions. Sadly, the Vikings lost to the Rams in the Wildcard round.

But the Vikings had a dilemma: should they give Darnold a brand new deal, or let him walk into free agency and stick with an unproven rookie who was recovering from season-ending surgery? They foolishly allowed Darnold to Walk and now he is in the Super Bowl with the Seahawks, preparing to play against the Patriots. After an amazing season, the Vikings finished the 2025 season with a 9-8 record, but the Chicago Bears exploded, winning the NFC North for the first time in a very long time.

Quieting the Sports Media’s narrative

Without a doubt, the Jets do deserve blame for not keeping Darnold. He was on the third season of his four-year contract with the fifth-year option, and once again, the short-sightedness of this team continues to be a major problem. Not hiring McCarthy because another team tampered with their hiring process was a fools errend as the Packers knew theycould take advantage of Christopher Johnson, and Peyton Manning also knew he could do the same.

Woody will always be himself, as he is the ring leader, and with his absence as the owner to take the US Ambassador to the U.K. position was a foolish thing to do, and abandoning his true post. Owning the Jets. The two seasons of Gase as head coach also ruined Darnold’s last two seasons as the starting quarterback. But the local and national Sports Media like WFAN, ESPN Radio New York, and ESPN National continue the narratives that this is all the Jets’ fault.

The Panthers also deserve some blame, but the biggest culprits are the Minnesota Vikings, as they could’ve kept Darnold, and they could’ve been in the Super Bowl this season; instead, they kept their rookie QB project and start all over again. While the Niners do not fault at all because they have Brock Purdy, these are the three teams that should have the finger of blame pointed at them. But instead, First Take, Shaun Morash of WFAN continues to hammer this false narrative that this is all on the Jets.

They did start it, but two other teams had their chance to do it and failed. Now the Seahawks are reaping the benefits of Darnold as they are back in the Super Bowl. So, can someone over there please point their fingers of blame at the Carolina Panthers and the Minnesota Vikings for their stupidity as well? It’s not always the Jets, but it’s so convenient that no one wants to look at this situation with a clear head.