It could be argued Sam Darnold cost himself dearly over his last few games, but one Minnesota Vikings legend says Darnold has done enough to remain the team’s quarterback.
In his first 16 matches the No. 3 overall choice in the 2018 NFL Draft, he rewrote his story, throwing for 4,153 yards and 35 touchdowns while completing 68.1% of his passes. All of these numbers were by far career highlights.
But in his last two games — one in which he could have been the top seed and the other a playoff game — he threw for just one touchdown pass and 411 yards and led his offense to just 18 points.
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold runs off the field after a game against the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 17, 2024, in Nashville. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Darnold looked like what he was known for in those last two games before arriving in Minnesota, and there are now calls for the team to move on from JJ McCarthy, the quarterback they selected with the 10th pick last year.
But former Vikings running back Chuck Foreman thinks Darnold has done enough to remain the starter.
“The guy comes into the league, he gets drafted by a team that has no talent, he gets labeled. Goes to another team with no talent, gets labeled even more. Then he goes to San Francisco, a winning team, to standing behind the coach shows him the way… and then he comes here with Kevin, and he takes them to another level,” Foreman told Outkick’s “The Ricky Cobb Show.”
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold throws a pass against the Indianapolis Colts during the first quarter at US Bank Stadium. (Jeffrey Becker/Imagn Images)
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Foreman shifted the blame for the two losses to Minnesota’s offensive line instead of Darnold, who, he said, was helpless against the Lions and Rams.
“With the pressure he was under, I only see one or two other quarterbacks who could have had any kind of breakout with that, and those are Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen,” Foreman added.
“I’m signing him, I hope they can both come together in the middle. I understand the money part, but I hope Sam understands that his career has been revived here. And he has a following here. Make adjustments next season. , but I think he should be the man.”
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, 9, and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, center right, hug after a game on Oct. 24, 2024, in Inglewood, California. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Darnold will be a free agent after the season and will be eligible for a franchise tag. His previous highs in yards and touchdowns were 3,024 and 19, respectively, in 2019 with the team that drafted him, the Jets from New York.
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