The pressure was on. Sam Darnold, once considered a lost cause, felt the weight of an entire franchise on his shoulders. After leading the Minnesota Vikings to the playoffs, there was hope that he could be the savior of the team. Fans held their breath waiting for Darnold to deliver. But, as the clock ticked down in the wild-card game against the Rams, the dream began to crumble. The QB’s performance was far from what the Vikings needed. The fans? Disappointed. The team? Let down. But more drama unfolded when an NFL legend weighed in live on the air, and let’s just say, his words weren’t kind. (Spoiler: It’s not just angry fans who are questioning Darnold’s future)

With the Vikings QB failing to move the chains and struggling to hit receivers, he caught some disrespect from former Cowboys QB Troy Aikman. Presenting the game on ESPN, Aikman shot off, “Not to be simplistic…But the way the Vikings have played over the last couple of weeks. He’s at least cost himself some money.” Ouch! Aikman’s statement left fans divided on X. Some are accusing the former QB of having a bias against Sam Darnold. While others throw shade at the Vikings QB for his disappointing performance.

“Troy Aikman really gets on my nerves for his bias announcing.  He’s been doing an hatchet job on Darnold  the whole game,” writes a user. It’s one of those moments where everyone’s got an opinion, and the debate is far from over. “Troy Aikman is the worst sports announcer in the history of sports, ever..period. That’s all I got,” writes another user. 

While a few called out Troy for making that rude comment about the QB, others chimed in to throw more scathing rants Darnold’s way. “I appreciate how politely disgusted Troy Aikman is with Sam Darnold’s play tonight on the broadcast,” commented a user. The Vikings QB has been an easy target for trolls this season. Even when he was playing well, people were quick to predict an upcoming downfall. But with this loss, things are going to get even harder for Darnold.

Sam Darnold’s future with the Vikings is now uncertain

Vikings fans never wholeheartedly accepted Sam Darnold. They were a little preoccupied fawning over their 10th overall draft pick, young QB J.J. McCarthy who couldn’t play this season because of an injury. But what about the next season? With Darnold’s offense failing to reach double digits in two consecutive ‘must-win games,’ the odds have turned against him. Sure, he led the Vikings’ offense in a commendable manner across the regular season, but he failed on the big occasions. A lot of fans and analysts have favored J.J. McCarthy over Sam. They believe that the Vikings favor going with J.J. as their QB1 over extending Darnold’s contract.

In March 2024, Sam Darnold signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Vikings, which included a $6.25 million signing bonus and $8.75 million in guarantees. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, he could either hit free agency or get an extension. Now, that extension or the value of any potential free agency deal are both uncertain. “Can’t tell what’s disappearing quicker: Troy Aikman’s voice or the zeroes on the salary of Sam Darnold’s next contract,” commented a user on X.

If we ignore his last two games, Darnold’s performance was way better than anyone expected. He racked up 4,319 yards and 35 TDs this season. But then again, getting sacked six times in the first half of a playoff game? That’s tough to overlook. It’s the first time a QB’s been sacked that many times in the first half of a playoff game since 1987. Not a good look for him. Coach Kevin O’Connell’s been all in on Sam Darnold this season, sticking by him no matter what. But after today’s game, even he is having a hard time shutting down all the trolls. It’s gonna be tough for him to defend Darnold after this one.

The tale of Darnold’s season has turned from a Cinderella story to A Nightmare on Elm Street in just two weeks. He must be heartbroken. Whether or not Aikman should have made those comments on air, he probably spoke the truth.