Sam Darnold's scary stretch over the final two weeks of the Vikings' season won't hurt his future earnings.
James Palmer of Bleacher Report says: relayed the take Opinions from NFL executives he spoke to about Darnold suggest that the quarterback's career resurgence is changing “more than the market.”
“I spoke to AFC executives and NFC executives yesterday and they said the same thing: There are too many teams in need of a quarterback, and even after these two games, the market for quarterbacks is going to be dramatic. There's no way that's going to change,” Palmer said. via Sports Illustratedof Darnold, who threw one touchdown over Minnesota's last two games, including Monday's season-ending wild-card loss to the Rams.
“They told me that the perception of his recovery has probably changed more than the market, because there are more teams and fewer quarterbacks.”
Darnold, who signed with the Vikings on a one-year, $10 million contract in March, started in place of injured rookie JJ McCarthy, who had meniscus surgery during the preseason, leading Minnesota to a 14-3 record. He led the team to a regular season record of nine wins and $10 million. Game winning streak.
As Minnesota's 2024 season draws to a close, speculation has begun to mount as to whether Darnold, the Jets' No. 3 pick in 2018 and long considered a failure after failing to live up to expectations, will be a part of the Vikings' future. Furthermore, what kind of monster contract has he involved himself in?
Just days after the new year, the bubble burst and the Vikings faced the Lions in the final regular season game for the NFC's top seed and a first-round bye.
Darnold was 18-of-41 for 166 yards and no touchdowns in a 31-9 loss to the Lions on Jan. 5, when he was sacked twice.
Even though the Vikings officially turned the page for the playoffs, the specter of Week 18 haunted Darnold again on Monday night. The quarterback threw one touchdown, one interception, and was sacked nine times in the season-ending 27-9 loss.
“They were better than us today,” Darnold said after the game. “We left some pitches that could have been better, especially early in the game. … We made too many mistakes.”
While these last two games certainly overshadow Darnold's stellar tenure in Minnesota, coach Kevin O'Connell emphasized the 27-year-old's “body of work.”
“It's really important that we all think about Sam's body of work and what he was able to do this year, a year when not many people thought he could lead the team to 14 wins. '' O'Connell said. “I think Sam will be the first to tell you because it didn't work out in the end. Could he have played better tonight? I'm sure he'll tell you he can. …Sam, And the journey he and I took this year will definitely hold a special place in my heart.”
Darnold is one of several veteran free agent signal-callers to hit the market this spring, with a career that also included stops in Carolina and San Francisco.
Will the Titans, Browns, and Giants, the teams in need of quarterbacks with the highest numbers in this year's draft, choose from a lukewarm class at the position, or will a quarterback like Darnold not provide? I don't know yet whether I'd pay for an experience I won't have.
