Analysis: Some quarterbacks just need a second chance, or a third or fourth

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Sam Darnold realizes his potential on his fourth stop. Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith did the same. Jared Goff has found his way to his second team.

Some quarterbacks just need a second chance. Or third. Or fourth.

Darnold was expected to be a backup player in Minnesota and was given a one-year, $10 million contract to save a spot for JJ McCarthy. But the first-round rookie suffered a season-ending knee injury in August, and Darnold has seized the opportunity.

The Vikings (5-0) are the NFC's only undefeated team entering the bye week, and Darnold is a key reason for their success. He completed 63.5% of his passes for 1,111 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions with a passer rating of 103.4.

“I knew all along that if we could get a few guys, Sam Darnold would beat them because he’s talented. He can play quarterback in the NFL, I always believed that. I'm just proud of him,” Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said on the Pat McAfee show this week. “He’s not really worried about anything other than just his role on our team. He is one of our captains. He works as hard as anyone to be ready for action. I won’t be surprised if he goes out and has success.”

Darnold was selected by the Jets with the No. 3 overall pick in 2018 and spent just three seasons in New York. He played for two coaches – Todd Bowles and Adam Gase – on teams that went 13-35. Darnold then spent two seasons in Carolina, playing for two coaches – Matt Rhule and Steve Wilks – and three offensive coordinators on teams that went 12-22.

He joined Mayfield in 2022 during a chaotic year in Carolina and backed up Brock Purdy in San Francisco last season. Mayfield moved from the Panthers to the Rams in 2022 and landed in Tampa Bay last year.

Solid coaching and supportive cast.

Darnold faces O'Connell, Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones, among others, in Minnesota.

“A lot of guys with skills and sometimes they come into a different situation or a different system and they excel at it and sometimes they don't,” six-time Super Bowl champion coach Bill Belichick said on the SiriusXM show “Let's Go!” “I think we've all seen a lot of guys, the Tom Bradys of the world, how much he's improved over the course of his career, it's really phenomenal. It's not where you were. It depends on where you’re going and how hard you’re willing to work at it.”

Darnold refused to blame New York culture and organizational instability for his failure.

“I had a lot of opportunities in New York and always felt like I could have played better there,” Darnold said last week in London before the Vikings beat Aaron Rodgers and the Jets 23-17.

Darnold was not at his best against his former team. He completed just 45.2% of his passes and had a passer rating of 50.3, the first time he was below 100 this season.

But Darnold showed poise and resilience. He recovered a pick and threw a 25-yard pass to Jefferson on second-and-9 to extend a fourth-quarter drive that ended with a field goal after the Jets had gotten within 20-17.

“What I was proud of with Sam was that it was another example of how the dynamic had changed in many ways through our own input. “He was able to jog back onto the field, get into the huddle and get the team moving,” O Connell said.

Darnold likely would have been a candidate for the Comeback Player of the Year award before the AP issued preseason guidance to voters, telling them that “the spirit of the award is to honor a player who excels in the face of… “He has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that resulted in his inability to play last season.”

If he continues to play at this level, Darnold could earn another award: Most Valuable Player.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press