After failed stints with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers as a starter and a short stint with the San Francisco 49ers as Brock Purdy’s backup, former USC star Sam Darnold was given another shot to be a starter in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, following the unfortunate season-ending injury suffered by rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy during the preseason.
With Darnold being a disappointment ever since the Jets drafted him out of the University of Southern California with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, many people wrote him off before his stint with the Vikings even began, and justifiably so because he had yet to prove himself on the professional level.
However, Darnold took this opportunity in Minnesota and ran with it and has since flourished under head coach Kevin O’Connell, who seems to sing his praises on a weekly basis, with the team now sitting at 11-2 on the season, following an impressive blowout win over Kirk Cousins and the visiting Atlanta Falcons in Week 14.
Now that Darnold has proven he can play at a high level as a starter in the NFL, the veteran quarterback’s value has gone through the roof, meaning he’ll likely get paid a lot of money after this season, whether with the Vikings or elsewhere.
Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky of ESPN believes Darnold will sign that big deal with another team via The Pat McAfee Show.
“No, I don’t think he stays in Minnesota,” Orlvosky said. “I think he’s going to get $150 million or so from somebody else. I don’t think he should stay in Minnesota. I love Minnesota. I love Kevin O’Connell. I think wherever he goes, you have to make sure you run the same system, the same offensive system as the kind that Kevin O’Connell does.”
"I don't think Sam Darnold is gonna stay in Minnesota because he's gonna get a big offer from another team..
He has been awesome this year and Minnesota has been the perfect place for him with Kevin O'Connell" ~ @danorlovsky7 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/FrPJKgxWTb
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 10, 2024
If Darnold can continue to play at a high level for the rest of the regular season and carry that over to the NFL playoffs, there’s no doubt that he’ll get his fair share of offers during the upcoming NFL offseason.
However, it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility that the Vikings don’t let him go and keep him the starter in Minnesota while letting McCarthy develop behind him.
NEXT: Colin Cowherd Reveals What The Vikings Should Do With Sam Darnold