After failed stints with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, veteran quarterback Sam Darnold seemingly lost his chance to prove his worth as a starter in the NFL, as he took a backup role behind Brock Purdy with the San Francisco 49ers last season.
Fortunately for Darnold, the Minnesota Vikings were intrigued with the idea of bringing him in to help replace Kirk Cousins, who chose to sign with the Atlanta Falcons in NFL free agency ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Darnold was thought to eventually be the backup to rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy in Minnesota, as the team had used their first-round pick on the former Michigan Wolverines star.
With McCarthy going down with a season-ending knee injury in the preseason, Darnold was thrust into the spotlight and has flourished as the starter for the Vikings.
According to legendary quarterback Tom Brady, he is coming off perhaps the best game of his career against the Falcons.
“He had the best game of his career on Sunday,” Brady said. “He threw for nearly 350 yards and five tuddies. Five, that’s insane!”
“He had the best game of his career on Sunday… Sam did an incredible job.”@TomBrady showing #Vikings QB Sam Darnold some love after his MONSTER performance on Sunday:pic.twitter.com/gBUqlWKQQq
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) December 10, 2024
Although seemingly everyone has been waiting for Darnold to fail in Minnesota, he has far exceeded expectations and has the Vikings considered a legitimate Super Bowl title contender in the NFC with a record of 11-2.
It’ll be interesting to see if Darnold can sustain this level of play while making a deep run in the playoffs this year, as it could set him up for the future with the Vikings or elsewhere with a new lucrative long-term deal in the offseason.
NEXT: Analyst Predicts How Much Money Sam Darnold Will Make On Next Contract