ESPN analyst Mina Kimes has been forced to eat humble pie after being confronted with a ‘botched’ pre-season prediction after the Seahawks’ Super Bowl qualification.
The Seattle fan was celebrating the team’s 31-27 victory over the Rams in the NFC Championship on Sunday when critics dug up the receipts of her past comments.
One X user reposted a scathing assessment Kimes made in March 2025, where she slammed the team’s decision to trade away quarterback Geno Smith for Sam Darnold.
At the time, she branded the move ‘terrible’ and claimed the ‘chances of upgrading are extremely low,’ a take that has aged poorly given Darnold’s success in leading the franchise to Super Bowl LX.
‘Your empty words fall on deaf ears. You thought it was a mistake to lose Geno. Must be nice to just be wrong and pretend you said nothing,’ one user fired at her.
Kimes, however, wasn’t afraid to own the blunder, hitting back at the critic immediately.
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes has been forced to confront a ‘botched’ pre-season prediction
Kimes slammed the team’s decision to trade away quarterback Geno Smith for Sam Darnold
‘I did, and have said I was wrong a bunch! (You can search for it on here),’ she replied. ‘Also discussed on my pod a lot. Part of the job is trying to understand why you’re wrong so you can get better, imo.’
The receipt in question dates back to March 7, 2025 – just three days before Seattle inked Darnold to a massive three-year, $100.5 million contract.
While Darnold led the Seahawks to a dominant 14-3 record and the top seed in the NFC, Geno Smith endured a nightmare season in Las Vegas.
After signing a $75 million extension with the Raiders to reunite with head coach Pete Carroll, Smith slumped to a 3-14 finish.
The disastrous campaign saw Smith throw 17 interceptions and led to Carroll being fired, leaving the Raiders with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft.
The franchise is now expected to draft Indiana national champion Fernando Mendoza to replace Smith, marking a bitter end to the veteran’s time as a starter.
Meanwhile, Darnold has completed a stunning career revival after being written off as a bust by the Jets in 2018.
The 28-year-old dazzled in Sunday’s title game, tossing three touchdowns and zero interceptions against a formidable Rams defense.
His connection with star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba – who shattered franchise records this season with 1,793 receiving yards – was unstoppable on the night.
Head coach Mike Macdonald couldn’t hide his pride after the game: ‘You can’t talk about the game without talking about our quarterback. I mean he just shut a lot of people up tonight, so I’m really happy for him.’
Even Kimes couldn’t hide her delight at being proven wrong, posting on X: ‘Man…I’m just really freakin happy for Sam Darnold.’
‘We were in Arizona for his loss to the Rams last year – to go from that to this, and from castoff to the Super Bowl. What an incredible journey.’
Darnold will now face the New England Patriots in Santa Clara on Feb. 8 for Super Bowl LX.
