Sam Darnold jumps from placeholder to pivotal for the Minnesota Vikings

We all know the NFL stands for Not For Long, and sometimes that even applies to a seemingly stable preseason situation. After a quiet camp that featured the Vikings developing #1 draft pick JJ McCarthy while getting Sam Darnold up to speed as their placeholder QB, Darnold is suddenly “the man,” barring another foolish injury if Darnold follows McCarthy onto the field for too long and sustains a long-term injury.

The backstory to all of this is familiar by now, of course. McCarthy sustained a season-ending meniscus tear in his preseason debut against the Raiders, so the quarterback spotlight shifts to Darnold. He’s been carrying a clipboard as a backup for a couple of years now, so there are serious questions about whether he’s ready to do more than a one- or two-game cameo. It’s worth a quick review to see what he brings to the table, so let’s dive in and take a close look at some of his key numbers.

Photo byKaleb BeckeronUnsplash

Sam Darnold, the Jets years: cover your eyes

Like every other Jets quarterback for the past half century, Darnold was supposed to be the QB savior who could help long-suffering Jets fans finally put legend Joe Namath in the rearview as the last quarterback to win a Super Bowl.

Darnold most decidedly was not the answer. He flashed occasionally, but the USC product eventually succumbed to the ongoing chaos, which was the New York Jets offense. The lowlight came against the New England Patriots when legendary coach Bill Belichick showed so many disguised defensive looks that a hot sideline mic caught Darnold saying he was “seeing ghosts” on the other side of the ball.

The stats were just as ugly, if not more so. He finished his Jets “career” with 45 TD passes and 39 interceptions, and his highest rating was 84.3. Not good.

Darnold the drifter and journeyman

His next destination was Carolina, which also isn’t exactly a quarterback paradise. Darnold completed just under 60 percent of his passes while throwing 9 TDs and 13 picks in 2021, and the following year, his production dropped as the Panthers eventually relegated him to a backup role.

Darnold then engineered a soft landing in San Francisco, where he had a quiet season backing up Brock Purdy. He was mostly the kneel-down guy in victory formation, appearing in ten games, although he finally got his completion percentage over 60 percent while throwing two touchdown passes and just a single pick.

The Sam Darnold and Kevin O’Connell partnership

For better or worse, those numbers will be meaningless in Minnesota this year. He’ll be throwing to a newly-signed Justin Jefferson, who will doubtless want to justify his shiny big contract. His backups at the moment are Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall, who combined to go 1-4 last year as starters, so Darnold will basically be coaching without a net. Ryan Tannehill (gulp) is still available, which tells you just how thin the free agent market is going forward.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell doesn’t have much of a net, either. He and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are both heading into the third year of their respective four-year deals, which means they’ll be expected to at least contend for a playoff berth, even after McCarthy’s potentially devastating injury.

There’s nothing in Darnold’s history to suggest he can produce at that level, but McCarthy does have an excellent reputation offensively, and he also has a reputation as a quarterback whisperer. That reputation will doubtless will be sorely tested with Darnold at times, and they’ll go into the season with their respective futures totally joined at the hip. These are uncharted waters for both QB and coach, and it will be up to Darnold to put the Vikings on his back and at least keep them competitive.

Article originally written by Bob McCullough