After the New York Jets selected quarterback Sam Darnold out of the University of Southern California with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the storied franchise had high hopes that he’d be the quarterback to help turn things around for the team.
Unfortunately, after three disappointing seasons, the Jets realized he wasn’t the right man for the job under center and traded him to the Carolina Panthers, where he’d get a fresh start while being teammates with superstar running back Christian McCaffrey.
Despite having a superstar to play alongside on offense, it was more of the same for Darnold with the Panthers, as he flamed out after two seasons with the team.
After another failed experiment in the NFL, Darnold was willing to be a backup moving forward, so he signed with the San Francisco 49ers to play behind Brock Purdy last season.
Although he rarely saw the field, Darnold has been given another chance to start in the NFL after signing with the Minnesota Vikings to be Kirk Cousins’ successor, where head coach Kevin O’Connell believes the former USC star has his best football ahead of him via NFL Network.
“I think his best football is ahead of him because of how he handled the last couple of years,” O’Connell said.
"I think his best football is ahead of him because of how he handled the last couple of years."
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell is happy to have Sam Darnold on his team. pic.twitter.com/UF7gPkqi2A
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 25, 2024
With the Vikings moving on from Cousins and seemingly intent on bringing in a promising young quarterback in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, Darnold will likely have one more season left to prove himself as a starter.
However, depending on who the Vikings bring in as a rookie quarterback, he’ll likely be on a short lease, meaning the pressure is on right out of the gate.
NEXT: Analyst Says Sam Darnold Is Bad News For Justin Jefferson
glenwo2 says
“Unfortunately, after three disappointing seasons, the Jets realized he wasn’t the right man for the job under center ”
>>> This is an absolute joke of a statement and it makes anything else you say irrelevant.
It also proves you did not do ANY type of in-depth research.
Otherwise, you would know the circumstances as to why he struggled in NY and it wasn’t his doing, bud.