The Minnesota Vikings’ loss against the Detroit Lions in Week 18 has forced an early playoff debut for Sam Darnold. The quarterback played arguably his worst game of the season (as evidenced by his 63.5 QB+) when Minnesota lost the NFC North title and dropped to the No. 5 seed.
In Monday’s Wild Card Round finale, the Vikings will be on the road against the Los Angeles Rams. Minnesota will hope for a better performance from its quarterback, and his career year has given fans plenty of reason for optimism. Let’s examine Darnold’s path from NFL journeyman to Vikings star.
Sam Darnold’s NFL Career Path
Darnold started his NFL career with the New York Jets as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. New York had a disappointing season, finishing at the bottom of the AFC East with a 4-12 record. The rookie was one of the few positives for the Jets, gaining steam at the end of the year
Darnold’s production improved in his second season, posting 3,024 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and two rushing scores. Still, New York’s 7-9 record couldn’t sneak into the postseason.
Both Darnold and the Jets got worse in 2020. While New York recorded a 2-14 season, Darnold finished with 2,208 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, all but ending his hopes as a franchise quarterback in the Big Apple.
The Jets traded Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for a 2021 sixth-round pick and one second-round and fourth-round selection each in 2022. The Panthers finished the season with a 5-12 record. Darnold had 2,527 passing yards in part-time action, harshly regressing after a hot start.
Baker Mayfield and P.J. Walker replaced Darnold as Carolina’s primary QB during the 2022 season. Although they barely missed the playoffs at 7-10 (the NFC South was resoundingly mediocre), Darnold’s career as a start was once again in jeopardy.
He entered the offseason as a free agent, having lost the luster of a top-draft pick and youthful potential.
The San Francisco 49ers signed him as Brock Purdy’s backup for the 2023 season. He started only one game in the regular season when the team rested Purdy for the playoffs. It was an uneventful year, and Darnold didn’t get to see the boost other passers have gotten from head coach Kyle Shanahan calling plays.
Hitting free agency again, Darnold signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Vikings in March 2024. After J.J. McCarthy’s season-ending injury, he became Minnesota’s starting quarterback. Darnold started all 17 games in the regular season for the first time in his career.
Darnold generated 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in the 2024 regular season. By PFN’s QB+ metric, he was the 12th-best quarterback in all of football with a grade of 79.4 (C+). PFN’s QB+ metric assigns a letter grade to every quarterback’s performance and factors in several stats, such as success rate when pressured, third-down conversion rate, pocket production, and clutch performance.
Darnold is finally the quality starter he was drafted to be, even if the journey has been far different than anyone anticipated. With free agency once again looming, Darnold’s playoff performance could define where his next chapter is written.