Vikings’ Sam Darnold Gets Real About Jets Tenure Ahead Week 5 Tilt

Getty Sam Darnold #14 of the Minnesota Vikings.

Sam Darnold’s journey to the Minnesota Vikings included stints with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers.

But it began with Darnold as the No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 draft by the New York Jets.

The Jets traded Darnold to the Panthers in 2021 where he ended his tenure going 4-2 over the final six games in 2022. On Sunday, Darnold will face his former team for the second time since being traded and spoke candidly about his time with the organization that drafted him.

“I think I had a lot of opportunities in New York,” Darnold told reporters on October 2 when asked if he felt failed by the Jets. “I always felt like I could have played better there.”

Darnold went 13-25 in his time with the Jets, completing 59.8% of his passes for 8,097 yards, 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions.

He is the NFL’s leading touchdown passer entering Week 5 of the 2024 season.

Much has been made about the Jets’ ability to develop quarterbacks in recent seasons. Darnold replaced former second-round pick Geno Smith, who hit his stride after leaving and joining the Seattle Seahawks with stops at the Los Angeles Chargers and New York Giants in between.

The Jets replaced Darnold with Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 draft.

They traded Wilson to the Denver Broncos during the 2024 offseason. Wilson now serves as the emergency third quarterback on game days.

Sam Darnold Overcame Jets, Blossomed With 49ers

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell praised Darnold, the NFC Player of the Month for September, for forging through a rough start to his career. He did not call out the Jets for their role in that.

“You’ve got to give him credit,” Goodell told the “Good Morning Football” panel on October 1. “His determination to get back in there and say, ‘I can do this.’ And when you see someone try to overcome that, and try to build on the failures he may have had, that’s just something you take your hat off to.”

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell praised Darnold’s growth before the season even started.

“I’ve known him for a long time. Watching him progress through his college career and then ultimately being a high draft pick, having done a full process on him then. We all go through a quarterback journey in this league,”  O’Connell told the panel on “The Insiders” in March. “But it’s a journey where you learn and you continue to grow and ultimately you just want to find yourself in a position in the future to be the best version of yourself and all the things you’ve learned along the way.”

O’Connell – another former Jets QB – touted Darnold’s development in San Francisco. The Vikings coach also downplayed the revenge aspect for Darnold on October 2. Darnold is making O’Connell look good.

Vikings Facing Beleaguered Jets Offense

Jets QB Aaron Rodgers said he was sore from the “wear and tear” of the season during his appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” on October 1.

He was a limited participant in the Jets’ first practice of the week.

The Jets are also dealing with dissatisfaction from wide receiver Garrett Wilson over the lack of diversity in the offense. Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett was brought in because of Rodgers after being fired as Broncos head coach in 2023.

The Jets have also dealt with protection issues.

That is a bad mix with an aggressive Vikings defense on the docket. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores must be judicious with his blitzes.

Rodgers has been effective when blitzed in his career. That has continued into the 2024 campaign. He has completed 60.3% of his passes for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns versus the blitz, per Pro Football Focus.

But Darnold is positioned to move to 2-0 versus his former team.