This NFL offseason there have been many exciting moves. Headlined by Kirk Cousins’ 180-million-dollar deal, the quarterback position has changed as much as any this offseason. The upcoming draft is expected to supply several franchise quarterbacks as well. However, with all this going on, I believe one quarterback acquisition has been overlooked. The signing of this quarterback hasn’t been discussed because he’s been a backup for the past several years. I believe he was only a backup because he previously played in poor circumstances. However, now he’s entering the perfect situation for him to succeed. This quarterback acquisition is the Minnesota Vikings’ acquisition of Sam Darnold, and here’s why I believe he’ll shock the world in 2024:
THE POOR CIRCUMSTANCES:
Sam Darnold played his college ball at USC from 2015 until 2017. Darnold had the privilege to work with great coaches and players in college. His head coach in 2015 was Steve Sarkisian, who just this year led Texas to a college football playoff appearance. Meanwhile, he was throwing to future Pro Bowlers, such as Ju Ju Smith-Schuster and Michael Pittman Jr.
Unfortunately, Darnold was drafted by the New York Jets. Since the early 2000s, the Jets’ franchise has been where quarterbacks’ careers go to die. New York was coming off a horrible 5W-11L 2017 season. Their head coach, Todd Bowles, was a defensive coach, and their offensive coordinator, Jeremy Bates, was no better. The first time Bates got an offensive coordinator job, Bates ran the 8th worst offense in the NFL and was fired after only one year. The reason the Jets hired him is beyond me. Darnold’s offensive line wasn’t any good either, as they tied for 6th most sacks allowed in 2017, with 47. His receivers weren’t any better. The Jets’ WR1 was Robbie Anderson/Chosen, who was decent, but aside from him, nobody on the team had eclipsed 900 yards in a season. Unsurprisingly, Darnold wasn’t very good in his rookie year. The Jets tried to fix the situation the following season by hiring a new head coach. Meanwhile, Adam Gase was fired by the Dolphins. Gase was hired by Miami because he was calling the plays for the Denver Broncos’ historic 2014 offense. After Miami’s offense ranked 27th in the NFL in points scored, it became obvious that Gase wasn’t special and that Peyton Manning was the sole reason for Denver’s success. Naturally, the Jets hired Adam Gase. To nobody's surprise, under Gase, Darnold only became worse. After two Awful years under Gase, the Jets gave up on Sam Darnold and traded him to the Carolina Panthers. The Jets’ record the year before drafting Darnold was 5W-11L, their record under Darnold was 13W-25L, and their record the year after they traded Darnold was 4W-13L. Sam Darnold clearly wasn’t the issue.
In Carolina, the situation wasn’t any better. The Panthers were coming off an abysmal 5W-11L 2020 season. Their head coach, Matt Rhule was a defensive coach, and their offensive coordinator, Joe Brady wasn’t any better. Brady was the passing game coordinator and receivers coach for the historic 2020 LSU Tigers’ offense. Nonetheless, going from an assistant in college to a coordinator in the NFL is a big jump. Darnold’s best weapon, Christian McCaffrey missed 10 games in the 2021 season, and outside of DJ Moore, none of the receivers were any good. Before the end of the season, the Panthers benched Sam Darnold and fired Joe Brady. The Panthers brought in Baker Mayfield the following offseason and moved Darnold to the bench. Darnold ended up playing 6 games in 2022 and was quietly pretty good. In 6 games, Darnold threw for 1,143 yards and 7 touchdowns, while adding 106 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground, only threw 3 picks, and tallied a passer rating of 92.6. 2022 was Sam Darnold’s last season in Carolina. The Panthers’ record the year before acquiring Darnold was 5W-11L, their record under Darnold was 8W-9L, and their record while benching Darnold was 4W-13L. Sam Darnold clearly wasn’t the issue.
THE DECENT CIRCUMSTANCES:
Last offseason, Sam Darnold signed a 1-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers. With Brock Purdy coming off a UCL tear it was unclear if he would be ready to go in week 1. Therefore, there was a chance of Darnold getting some playing time, yet in the big picture, Darnold was brought in to be a backup. Under coach Shanahan, Darnold was in a good organization for the first time since he was drafted, and he excelled. Multiple sources raved about his ability to throw the football. Kyle Shanahan compared Darnold to hall-of-fame quarterback, Steve Young. When asked about the remarks Shanahan replied: “I don't like to compare anyone to Steve because of how good he was, but why can't Sam be like that? He's got that type of ability. He is that type of person. And I'm just pumped we could get him here.” Furthermore, Matt Maiocco of NBC went on air and said, “He might be, can I say this, the most talented thrower of the football that the 49ers have ever had.” Maiocco has been a 49ers’ fan for over 40 years and has watched Joe Montana play live, yet he believes that Darnold throws a better football. In the preseason games, Darnold made the most of his opportunities. He completed 22 out of 33 passes for 282 yards, 2 touchdowns, and only 1 interception, tallying up a 100.8 passer rating. He didn’t get the opportunity to start in week 1, but did get to start a meaningless week 18 game against the Los Angeles Rams. Despite the Rams playing more of their starters than the 49ers, Sam Darnold held his own and almost led the Rams to a win. Darnold completed 16 of 26 passes, for 189 yards and a touchdown, while adding 19 yards and a touchdown on the ground and not throwing a single interception. His final passer rating was 96.5.
THE PERFECT CIRCUMSTANCES:
This offseason, Kirk Cousins, who played quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings for the past 6 years, signed a 4-year 180-million-dollar deal with the Atlanta Falcons. The Vikings are a win-now team, with stars such as Justin Jefferson and Harrison Smith in their primes, they can’t wait around for a new quarterback. The Vikings don’t have a top-10 pick or enough cap space to bring in a proven veteran. Therefore, their best shot at acquiring a solid quarterback before the 2024 season was to take a risk on an underrated veteran. A very similar situation to the one the Tampa Bay Buccaneers found themselves in last year. Tampa signed Baker Mayfield to a 1-year deal and it paid off. Mayfield shocked the world and led Tampa Bay to a division title and a playoff win, earning himself a 3-year 100-million-dollar extension. Minnesota signed Sam Darnold to a similar 1-year deal, and I expect even better results.
Darnold will finally get to play for a good offensive head coach in Kevin O’Connell. O’Connell’s record as a head coach is 20W-14L, and he was the offensive coordinator for the Rams when they led the NFL in points scored in 2020. In addition, the Vikings’ offense is stacked. They have Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison at receiver, and TJ Hockenson at tight end. All three had over 900 yards and 5 or more touchdowns last season. The Vikings also recently signed Pro Bowl-caliber running back Aaron Jones, who has rushed for over 1,000 yards in 3 of his last 4 healthy seasons. Furthermore, the Vikings' offensive line is arguably a top-10 line in the NFL. For the first time in his professional career, Sam Darnold has a fair shot. I expect Darnold to take it and run. Darnold is, and always has been a great thrower of the football. He is a below-average quarterback when it comes to the mental aspect of the game, and coaching and protection always amplifies that aspect of a quarterback. Behind the Vikings line, with their weapons and Kevin O’Connell calling plays, don’t be shocked if Sam Darnold shocks the world!
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