A quarterback's old team dumped him. His new team is reaping the benefits.

Sam Darnold won 14 games last season with the Minnesota Vikings but wasn't brought back. Now his strong play has the Seattle Seahawks primed for a deep postseason run.

It’s rare for a quarterback to win as many games as Sam Darnold did last year, only to become one of the offseason’s less celebrated signings.

Last year, Darnold led the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 record — tied with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles for second-most wins in the NFL — and posted career-best marks in passing yards, touchdowns and passer rating.

But after he struggled in both the Vikings’ final regular season game and their first-round playoff loss, Minnesota decided not to re-sign Darnold in the offseason, even though he finished 2024 with the sixth-best passer rating and fifth-most touchdown passes in the league.

Then, when Darnold signed a three-year, $105 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks — the 18th-highest average salary among signal callers — the move was met with a lukewarm response at best.

ESPN graded the signing as a B-, describing Darnold as a downgrade from previous quarterback Geno Smith. Pro Football Network was more critical, calling Darnold’s contract one of the worst in free agency.