The Minnesota Vikings were blown off the field by the Los Angeles Rams in a 27-9 beatdown. Sam Darnold was sacked nine times, threw an interception, and lost a fumble. It was a nightmare, but it shouldn't be the only takeaway from a great season.

At the dawn of the new year, Sam Darnold was a folk hero in Minnesota. Not only did the quarterback -- no longer locally branded a reclamation project, but rather a full-blown, high-octane Pro Bowler -- sweep the rival Green Bay Packers to give the Vikings their best regular-season record in 16 years,

The Minnesota Vikings built a system that allowed former castaway Sam Darnold to set an NFL starting quarterback record with 14 wins in his debut season.

The Cleveland Browns "perfect offseason" had them replacing Deshaun Watson with Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold.

However, the Vikings will enter free agency with the sixth-most cap space. They had a fantastic offseason in 2024 by adding several free agents who played significant roles in the 14-3 season. If the Vikings can replicate any of that success,