"Leave Sam Darnold in Arizona," "Do not re-sign him" - Vikings fans make feelings clear on $10,000,000 QB after playoff disasterclass

The Vikings lost to the Rams in the divisional round as quarterback Sam Darnold struggled all night in a 27-9 Wild Card defeat. Minnesota's offense never got going and the nine points they scored were the lowest by any playoff team this week with the exception of rookie Bo Nix with the Broncos.

It was a poor performance on many fronts. While the offensive line did not help, Sam Darnold often held on to the ball for too long leading to him being sacked for 82 yards on nine tackles. He missed open receivers, including simple screen passes. He was guilty of an egregious interception and the game's turning point came when he was strip-sacked and the Rams returned it for a touchdown.

A one-score match at that point suddenly went the other way and the Vikings never recovered from that blow. Fans took to X/Twitter to slam Sam Darnold and here are some of the reactions.

The reactions continued to come and many referenced the Vikings quarterback's failures in consecutive matches when there was something on the line. He did not play well against the Lions in Week 18 when they were fighting for the overall top seed in the NFC and certainly did not do well in the Wild Card round. He finished this game with 245 yards, one touchdown, one interception, one fumble recovered for a touchdown by the opposition, and a passer rating of 77.6.

Accordingly, here are some more posts from Minnesota fans on social media following that performance.

"I lowkey feel bad for Sam Darnold. He balled out all year, but these are the games that get you paid. 2 turnovers, 1 returned for a TD, and 9 sacks (most of which were self-inflicted) is not going to cut it. With J.J. McCarthy on the roster, Minnesota has a decision to make." - sympathized one.

"It’s over. Fun season despite how this feels. You can’t watch Sam Darnold over the last two games and make any justification for paying him long term. He’s not good enough to paper over holes that would inevitably open because of his cap hit. That $$$ needs to go toward OL/DBs" - said another.

"In the last two game Sam Darnold has cut his next salary in half. Incredible collapse." - noted a third.

Vikings' roster expected to change significantly beyond QB Sam Darnold

Minnesota needs to approach 2025 as if it is a fresh start despite their 14-win season this year. Because they have a ton of free agents who can leave now that their season is over.

"QB Sam Darnold, S Harrison Smith, CB Stephon Gilmore, CB Byron Murphy, RB Aaron Jones, S Cam Bynum, LT Cam Robinson, DT Jerry Tillery, CB Shaq Griffin, DL Jonathan Bullard, G Dalton Risner, TE Johnny Mundt, WR Brandon Powell, QB Nick Mullens, QB Daniel Jones, RB Cam Akers, DE Jihad Ward, DE Patrick Jones, WR Trent Sherfield, LB Kamu Grugier-Hill, CB Fabian Moreau." - were some of the key free agents pointed out NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

It will be a new beginning for Kevin O'Connell and his team. Whether he keeps his current starting quarterback as a part of his future plans will be intriguing to see.