It could be argued that Sam Darnold has cost himself a lot 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 games, rewrote no. 3 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft in his history and threw for 4,153 yards and 35 touchdowns while completing 68.1% of his passes. All of those numbers were career highs by far.
But in his last two games — one in which he could have clinched the top seed and the other a playoff game — he threw for just one touchdown pass and 411 yards and held 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 in the last two games looked like what he was known for before arriving in Minnesota, and there are now calls for the team to move on JJ McCarthy, the quarterback they selected with the 10th pick last year.
But former Vikings tight end Chuck Foreman believes Darnold did enough to remain the starter.
“The guy comes into the league, he’s drafted by a team that has no talent, he gets tagged. Goes to another team with no talent, gets tagged more. Then he goes to San Francisco, a winning team to get behind the coach showing 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 in 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 rather than Darnold, who, he said, was helpless against the Lions and Rams.
“The pressure he was under, I only see one or two other quarterbacks who could have any kind of escapeability with that, and that’s 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 right here. And he has a following here. Make adjustments next season, but I think he should be the guy.”
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, center right, hug after a game Oct. 24, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Darnold is a free agent after the season and is a candidate for a franchise tag. His previous highs for yards and touchdowns were 3,024 and 19, respectively, in 2019 with the team that drafted him, the New York Jets.
