Sam Darnold was signed by the Minnesota Vikings in March as a “patchover quarterback” in anticipation of the selection of a rookie quarterback. That was the working theory, anyway.
The bridge quarterback idea appeared to be underway when Minnesota later selected Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy in the draft.
But now that the Vikings are 6-2 and in a strong position to make the playoffs, Darnold isn’t simply a stopgap measure by traditional criteria; according to NFL.com, he’s the most unexpected player in the league.
Darnold was called the league’s biggest surprise by Jeffri Chadiah, who described “midseason superlatives” this week. One of the NFL’s greatest tales this season has been this one.
When Darnold signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Vikings in March, there was minimal fanfare.
He was a journeyman quarterback who had gone from being selected in the top three by the Jets in 2018 to a backup in San Francisco after failing to maintain a job in Carolina, he wrote.
Among all eligible quarterbacks, Darnold is ranked seventh in the NFL by EPA+CPOE, an efficiency metric that calculates projected wins added.
At best, he was meant to assist youngster J.J. McCarthy in adjusting to the league before continuing on, Chadiah added.
Darnold led the Vikings to a 5-0 start, but hardly one noticed. The same is true when you consider that his passer rating (107.8) places him in the top five in the league.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has done a fantastic job of mentoring Darnold, and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah deserves praise for considering him as a possibility.
“But don’t be misled: if Darnold doesn’t show that he can perform some of the things that were expected of him when he was a young, promising prospect, this won’t happen.”
Here’s Darnold current stat line scaled to a 17-game season:
- 4,038 Passing Yards
- 69.5% Comp
- 36 Passing TDs
- 15 INTs
“Darnold is a testament to what can happen when you give a talented player a strong supporting cast and reliable coaching. The Vikings, now 6-2 after Sunday night’s win over Indianapolis, are a serious playoff contender because of that,” Chadiah concluded.
