NFL Analysis
10/4/24
5 min read
Sam Darnold's Resurgence Is a Symbol of Hope for NFL Journeymen Everywhere
I’m rooting for Sam Darnold, and I’m not the only one. Or at least I shouldn’t be.
In fact, most people should be invested in the surprising early success of the Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback because, on some level, he is representing the vast majority of us every time he plays.
As he takes the field on Sunday morning in London against the team that originally drafted him, the New York Jets, Darnold will again be carrying the flag for not only all of the former and current journeymen players in the NFL but also all of the people who have ever been told that either they weren’t good enough or that their organization was going in a different direction — aka, we found someone we think can do the job better.
Whether he knows it or not, Darnold is representing all of us with this special start to the season, which includes being named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September.
Darnold's Path to Greatness
The Jets gave him a few years before deciding he wasn’t the answer in New York. The Carolina Panthers thought all he needed was a change of scenery to excel before deciding they were wrong about Darnold. The 49ers had him for a year and seemed to like him, but certainly not enough to unseat starter Brock Purdy.
Darnold is 27 years old and on his fourth team. He is, by definition, a journeyman. He’s also, by all indications, an MVP candidate to this point of the season, as he has the undefeated Vikings looking like the best team in football.
Darnold proves two things weekly that are too often overlooked by fans, the media, and even the teams themselves.
Firstly, players can and often do get better during their NFL careers. And worse, for that matter. The point is that most don’t just stay the same. The same can undoubtedly be said in other sports and aspects of life as well. Certainly, that appears to be the case with Darnold, as he is off to the best start of his NFL career.
One thing that I’ve always noticed and have spoken with NFL executives about is their propensity to categorize players as soon as possible. One player is a “situational pass rusher only,” while another is a “special teamer,” and another is a “dirty work wide receiver.”
It’s as if the league, or at least a lot of coaches and scouts, want to decide what a player can or can’t do and then place them in that box before moving on to evaluate the next guy.
Are we sure that the special teamer couldn’t be more than that if given the opportunity? Denver Broncos Hall of Fame RB Terrell Davis was thought of as just a special teams guy until he was given some opportunities to carry the ball, and there are many more examples.
Darnold is at the point where he is thought of as a “bridge” quarterback, meaning he is not the long-term answer but can serve as a high-end back-up and even take the starting role should a team need while grooming a youngster.
Heck, even the Vikings thought of him in this way. They wouldn’t have traded up to draft J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan in the first round if they thought Darnold was or even could be the franchise quarterback. So far, Darnold is playing like a guy who doesn’t want to be a bridge to anyone or anything other than being the starting quarterback in purple for years to come.
Very early in my career, I was thought of as a “swing inside guy,” meaning that I could play all three interior offensive line positions effectively when needed. However, I wasn’t what a team would ideally like in a starter at either guard or center.
I can truthfully say that I believe that was the best role for me, but I have wondered how I would have fared if ever given the opportunity to stay at one position in one system with one offensive line coach for an extended period of time. Maybe I could have been more than that if I hadn’t switched from coach to coach among five different teams in seven years.
>> READ MORE: Former Coach, MVP Talk About Darnold's Resurgence
Situation Matters
That leads to the second thing Darnold appears to be proving every time he takes the field this season: sometimes, it just takes being in the right place at the right time.
Darnold has been given an opportunity with an outstanding head coach, Kevin O’Connell, who truly believes in him. Couple that with a good offensive line led by one of the NFL's best tackle duos and arguably the best receiver in the world in Justin Jefferson, and you have an ideal situation for a quarterback playing in a system that is similar to last year's in San Francisco. Thus far, it seems like the perfect fit.
I’d like to think that if I had been the center with Peyton Manning in Indy or Tom Brady in New England, I might’ve been a long-term starter and had a more successful career. Unfortunately, the situation I found myself in, with head coaches being fired each of my first three years in the league, did not lend itself to that.
That’s why I’m rooting for Darnold and think all of the other NFL journeymen and anyone who has bounced around from organization to organization in life should be as well.
Whether he knows it or not, Darnold is repping us. All of us.