Former USC QB Sam Darnold will look to take over the starting quarterback role relinquished yesterday by Kirk Cousins. When Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons on March 11, 2024, the opportunity arose for Darnold to sign with the Minnesota Vikings. The 26-year-old Darnold now lands with his fourth NFL team as he enters his seventh season in the league.
Here’s a look at Darnold’s football history:
Darnold Shone Brightly at USC
Coming out of San Clemente High School in Southern California as a four-star recruit, Darnold had an impressive two-year stint with the USC Trojans. In 2016, Darnold was the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, and he was named to the Freshman All-American Team. He guided the Trojans to the Pac-12 Conference Championship in 2017, and was named the MVP of the conference championship game.
On January 2, 2017, in one of the most memorable Rose Bowls, Darnold and the Trojans squared off against Saquon Barkley and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Ninth-ranked USC defeated fifth-ranked Penn State 52-49 before a crowd of nearly 96,000. SBNation summarized the remarkable game and Darnold’s amazing performance:
Numbers cannot tell the full story of the 2017 Rose Bowl, which [was one of the best, if not the very best, games of the year.] It was packed with emotional twists and turns, Saquon Barkley jukes, and Sam Darnold bullet passes.
But the game was so good and so loaded with offense that the numbers were bound to be astonishing, and they definitely [were, including the following:] …
473 total yards of offense for Darnold, USC’s redshirt freshman quarterback — the most ever by one player in a Rose Bowl, topping Vince Young’s 467 in 2006. [And Young was not a freshman then] …
453 passing yards for Darnold. That’s just short of the all-time Rose Bowl record of 456, set by Oregon’s Danny O’Neill against Penn State in 1995…. Darnold’s No. 2 on the all-time single-game Rose Bowl list, ahead of fellow Trojan Mark Sanchez (413).
In Darnold’s 24 career starts at USC, the Trojans’ record was 20-4. In his two full seasons at USC, Darnold threw for 7,229 yards and 57 touchdown in 27 games.
No. 3 Overall Pick in the 2018 NFL Draft
The New York Jets selected Darnold with the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The two players selected before Darnold were Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley. Darnold was the Jets’ highest QB draft pick since Joe Namath was selected first overall in 1965.
Three Tough Years with the New York Jets
Things did not go as hoped with Darnold and the NY Jets.
After signing a “four-year, $30.25 million fully guaranteed contract” with the Jets, Darnold started the regular season opener on Monday Night Football, and, in a harbinger of things to come, threw a pick-six on his first pass attempt. Although he bounced back and led the Jets to a victory in that initial game, the Jets finished the season with a 4-12 record, and Darnold threw an NFL-leading 15 interceptions on the season.
The Jets also had losing records in 2019 (7-9) and 2020 (2-14). In a shut-out loss to the New England Patriots in the 2019 season, Darnold, who was “mic’d up” during the game, was notoriously caught saying, “I’m seeing ghosts.” In a bright spot during the 2019 season, Darnold was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week Six.
Although Darnold started all of the 38 games in which he played for the Jets, the Jets decided to trade him to the Carolina Panthers after the 2020 season. In exchange for Darnold, the Jets received three draft picks, a second-rounder, a fourth-rounder, and a sixth-rounder.
Two More Tough Years with the Carolina Panthers
Darnold’s tenure with the Panthers began well. However, after starting 3-0, the Panthers finished Darnold’s inaugural season in Carolina (2021) with a record of 5-12. During the 2022 preseason, Darnold was named the backup to Baker Mayfield, but was on the injured reserve list for much of the season. He did start six games at the end of the season. After the Panthers finished the 2022 season with a losing record, they did not renew Darnold’s contract, and he became a free agent.
One Year as a Backup in San Francisco
In the 2023 season, Darnold — the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft — was the San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback. Ironically, the man he backed up, Brock Purdy, was “Mr. Irrelevant” in the 2022 NFL Draft — the last selection of the entire draft.
Will the Former USC QB Start for the Vikings in 2024?
Will the Vikings be content with Darnold as QB1 for the 2024 season, or do they intend for him to be a backup?
The Vikings have the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. It will be interesting to see whether they use that pick on a quarterback or seek to trade the pick and potentially move up in the draft to take one of the top available quarterbacks That top group of QB includes Caleb Williams (also a former Trojan), Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and J.J. McCarthy.
Here’s how these top QB draft prospects are currently rated on Mel Kiper’s big board:
- Caleb Williams: No. 1 overall and No. 1 QB
- Jayden Daniels: No. 3 overall and No. 2 QB
- Drake Maye: No. 6 overall and No. 3 QB
- J.J. McCarthy: No. 20 overall and No. 4 QB
Only time will tell the role Sam Darnold ultimately plays for the Vikings — QB1 or a well=-paid QB2.
