The former New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold was a third overall pick in the NFL draft. Since then, a lot has gone wrong from what you would hope from a high draft selection. While some may elect to focus on the downside and what's gone wrong, there is another angle to look at his career. The 27-year-old is about to embark on his seventh year in the league. If nothing else, he deserves credit for sticking with it and persevering.
After his Big Apple start, he then spent time with both the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers. His fourth team provides a chance to showcase that he has learned from his mistakes and that an offense can be entrusted to his care. At the beginning of this offseason, he was in the middle of a heated QB competition. This battle had the attention of many, as it was him versus the former Michigan Wolverines championship winner, J.J. McCarthy.
Similar to Darnold's initial status, being off the board at number ten establishes an expectation of seeing the field sooner rather than later. Unfortunately for the current rookie, an injury update will postpone his playing time for the immediate future. As reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, knee soreness led to an MRI for the first-rounder. The result will be surgery to fix the issue in his knee.
At this time his ability to come back will depend, based on the report on social media, on how the operation itself goes and to what extent it's needed. But regardless of how anyone looks at it, he will be sidelined for a significant amount of time. The official word from head coach Kevin O'Connell is that it is a torn meniscus.
But this leads the door open for Sam Darnold. It's widely expected for him to be the starter now. His coach will likely preach an ongoing QB competition, as he should. But more likely than not, it will be him running with the first string when the Minnesota Vikings travel to the New York Giants.
This may have been how things would have played out anyway. But despite the unfortunate news, this does provide clarity in the quarterback room. Barring another setback, everyone in the building will now know who to give first-team reps to. The offensive staff will know who to center their game plan around, and receivers will know who's most important to continue to develop chemistry with.
Opportunity for Sam Darnold
Seeing anyone go down, it's a tough pill to swallow. This is particularly true for a rookie who has questions to answer of his own. However, for the time being, the former USC athlete gets to rewrite a lot of narratives about him. His physical stature and skill set are parts that any organization would enjoy working with. Unfortunately for him, for a lot of reasons, he has not been able to find consistent NFL success.
But as fans saw last year, he's on a team that can hold its own even when the signal caller puts the other components in bad situations. Namely, having Justin Jefferson as a security blanket is always a fantastic option. Furthermore, he's in an organization that is mostly buttoned up, and the defense is good enough to be able to be leaned on. The ceiling and limitations stop and end at quarterback.
The other 52 members who end up making the final roster are good enough to at least compete for a division title and possibly more. But if recent history is any indication, this is an opportunity that he'll face head-on. It won't necessarily be the end of the road if there's an unsuccessful season. Regardless of what happens after the 2024-2025 season, stringing together good performances with this supporting cast will go a long way for Sam Darnold. He knows this better than anyone, and he will be up for the challenge.