Sam Darnold was a star at USC. Much was expected of him when he entered the NFL. However, his pro career has not matched the splendor of his days as a Trojan.
Darnold and his new team, the Minnesota Vikings, are hoping that Darnold can reclaim some of the magic he had when he was the Trojans signal caller.
As reported in Gridiron Heroics, Darnold signed with the Vikings on March 12, 2024.
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 6.
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.
What Does the Future Hold for Sam Darnold and the Vikings?
According to Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, All-Pro WR Justin Jefferson is “excited about getting to spend some time and work with Sam [Darnold].”
The Vikings signed Darnold to a one-year $10 million deal.
Per Fox Sports:
“With that kind of money, it’s likely he’ll begin the season as QB1, but Minnesota could also have plans to draft a QB in April.
“The team acquired the No. 23 overall pick from Houston to give it two first-round selections (it also has the 11th pick).
Minnesota Vikings could roll with Sam Darnold at QUATERBACK if the trade is too pricey in the NFL Draft pic.twitter.com/SswBrK0M2H
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) April 3, 2024
Dan Zaksheske of Outkick.com is not optimistic about Darnold’s prospects as QB1 with the Vikings. He writes:
“As of now, Darnold slots in as the team’s starting quarterback. However, the Vikings are likely to select a rookie in the NFL Draft to compete for that role. Since the Vikings hold the 11th pick in the first round, they’re unlikely to land one of the top quarterback prospects.
“But there are other guys they may select, they could trade up, or they could wait until later rounds. Either way, Darnold has a decent shot of being the team’s starting quarterback in Week 1 of the 2024-25 NFL season.
“That’s … not great. Since the Jets selected Darnold with the #3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, he’s been nothing short of a complete disaster. New York completely gave up on him and drafted another bust, Zach Wilson.
“After drafting Wilson, the Jets shipped Darnold to Carolina. That didn’t work out, so the 49ers signed him as a backup. Now, he is with the Vikings – his fourth NFL team – for his seventh season.”
Zaksheske continues:
“Believe it or not, Darnold is still just 26 years old. Weird, right? Seems like he’s been in the league for 15 years. He’s played six seasons and his career stats are atrocious.
“He’s thrown nearly as many interceptions (56) as touchdown passes (63). His career completion percentage is below 60%. He’s started 56 NFL games, winning just 21 of them.
“However, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell – like many before him – believes he can fix Darnold.
“‘I think his best football is ahead of him,’ O’Connell said. Well, Kevin, you better hope his BEST football isn’t behind him. Unless you’re speaking about his USC days, which might actually be the best football Darnold ever played.”
"Sam Darnold was a guy that jumped out to me personally and I've evaluated him at different points of his QB journey..
I can't wait to get working with him and I think his best football is ahead of him" ~ @KevOC7 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/k7iTyHZJHA
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 26, 2024
Undoubtedly, the decisions the Vikings make in the draft a few weeks from now will have an impact on Darnold’s status with the team — whether he will be QB1 or a very highly-paid clipboard holder.
Stay tuned to Gridiron Heroics for continuing coverage of Darnold, the Minnesota Vikings, and the 2024 NFL Draft.
For more related sports news, focused primarily on the USC Trojans, SMU Mustangs, and Los Angeles Rams, please follow me at @vshjah_Victor.
