Sam Darnold’s renaissance offers hope for the quarterback scrapheap

The former New York Jets first-round pick is enjoying a career-best run of form in Minnesota. And he may offer a lesson for quarterback-needy teams elsewhere

Not long ago, it looked like Sam Darnold's days in the NFL were numbered. The No 3 overall pick in 2018 by the New York Jets had bounced around teams over the past few years and was set to be a backup this fall to the Minnesota Vikings' first-round draft pick, JJ McCarthy. A preseason knee injury for McCarthy pressed Darnold into action, though, and the veteran has made the most of the chance. In a 34-7 romp over the Houston Texans on Sunday, Darnold completed 17 of his 28 passes, only getting 181 yards through the air but avoiding interceptions and firing four touchdowns to four different receivers. Darnold has been one of the league's most efficient quarterbacks in all three weeks this season, and the Vikings are 3-0.

Darnold was a college star at Southern California, but his NFL career had mostly been cascading disappointment. If Darnold had never gotten on the field this year, it's possible that the defining image of his career would have been an ESPN graphic from the time he got mononucleosis in 2019, or perhaps another moment that season when a hot mic caught Darnold becoming so befuddled by the New England Patriots defense that he said he was seeing ghosts". For an early draft pick, Darnold had become a sideshow. Until now.