It has now been nearly two weeks since the Minnesota Vikings came crashing out of the playoffs. This is after they suffered a heartbreaking 27-9 loss against the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round, thereby putting an end to what was arguably one of their best campaigns in recent years.
Quarterback Sam Darnold played a significant role in Minnesota finishing with a 14-3 record in the regular season as they secured the second spot in the NFC North behind only the 15-2 Detroit Lions.
Darnold, however, came up short in his playoff debut for the Vikings. The Pro Bowl QB went 25-of-40 on his passes for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception. It was far from enough to get the Vikings past the Rams.
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Darnold is now making the most of his time off ahead of what should be a very interesting offseason. On Friday, his girlfriend, Katie Hoofnagle, took to Instagram to share an offseason update on the former USC star.
Apparently, Darnold appears to have taken up a new hobby.
“One day you’re 27 and the next you’re identifying bird chirps,” Hoofnagle captioned her post.
Hoofnagle, who has been dating the Vikings QB for at least a year and a half now, shared a video of Darnold relaxing and enjoying the sights and sounds of nature. It seems like he was using his phone to help identify the type of bird he was hearing based on its chirp.
“That’s a northern mockingbird,” Darnold said proudly.
Darnold is set to make a big decision soon. His one-year deal with the Vikings has come to an end, and he will be an unrestricted free agent once the window opens in March.
At this point, it appears that he’s done well enough to get a better deal than the one-year, $10 million contract he signed with Minnesota before the 2024 season. Opposing teams have reportedly shown interest in the 27-year-old as well, and it seems like he will have no shortage of options.
