J.J. McCarthy drops powerful 2-word message after Sam Darnold and Vikings' disastrous playoff exit

It was fun while it lasted. The Minnesota Vikings entered the Wild Card showdown against the Los Angeles Rams as marginal favorites given how they finished the season. Behind Sam Darnold's resurgence, the Vikings made it all the way to the playoffs, something that was never in question at any point during the season.

When they got there, however, things went sideways pretty quickly. What was meant to be a dream season ended with Darnold taking nine sacks - tied for an NFL playoff record - as the Rams defense suffocated the Vikings offense to pick up a dominant 27-9 win.

Following the game, rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy tweeted out a powerful message, writing:

"Amor fati."

The Latin phrase translates to "love of fate," words used by people around the world to signify that they have not only accepted their fate but loved it in adversity.

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Where Minnesota Vikings stand after exiting the NFL playoffs

Given the Vikings were the final team to be booted out of the playoffs, they now have the 24th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. That pick in itself represents how far they have come within the span of one season.

Last year, the Vikings were picking at No. 11 overall, a pick they traded to the Jets to move up one spot to select J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan. McCarthy was seen by several draft analysts as the most NFL-ready quarterback of the five QBs who were selected in the first round - Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and Michael Penix Jr. However, McCarthy's season ended before it began after he suffered an injury in preseason, thrusting Sam Darnold into the spotlight.

The Vikings now have 25 players set to hit free agency, a list that includes names such as Sam Darnold, Stephon Gilmore, Aaron Jones, Daniel Jones and Cam Robinson.

Several NFL teams are likely to keep an eye on Darnold in particular. The former Jet signed a one-year, $10 million deal to serve as the backup QB in Minnesota but has played his way out of that deal over the course of the regular season. If the Vikings want Darnold to stay in town, they will have to franchise tag him at roughly $40 million, a deal that could prove to be too expensive for the franchise.