Bleacher Report Reveals Wild Prediction for Sam Darnold
Have you considered a reunion angle for Sam Darnold that would allow the 27-year-old to try the “full circle” career arc?
Bleacher Report Reveals Wild Prediction for Sam Darnold
That’s the latest and greatest theory from Bleacher Report, a website that suggested the Minnesota Vikings quarterback could return to his old stomping grounds this offseason with the New York Jets.
The Jets recently announced that Aaron Rodgers would not return to New York in 2025, so equipped with all new leadership, led by general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn, a new QB1 will be on the menu.
And that could be Darnold, argues BR’s Brad Gagnon. “My February prediction? The Vikes let Darnold get away in favor of McCarthy. The Steelers stick with Wilson. Cousins goes to the Raiders, Darnold goes back to the Jets in place of Aaron Rodgers, Carr becomes a bridge in Cleveland, the Titans and Giants draft Ward and Sanders, respectively, and Fields is left fighting for opportunities in a place like Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Cleveland, Las Vegas or New Orleans,” Gagnon wrote with a flurry off offseason quarterback predictions.
Darnold played like an MVP for 16 weeks last season, banking 36 total touchdowns and 4,319 passing yards en route to leading his team toward a 14-3 record. With it all on the line, though, Darnold crumbled in the season’s final two games, reducing his chances of a sequel in Minnesota.
“Darnold, the league’s sixth-highest-rated passer from this past season, is slated to hit free agency, as is future Hall of Famer Russell Wilson. Both quarterbacks could get away from their incumbent teams due to the presence of younger, intriguing signal-callers in Minnesota (2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy) and Pittsburgh (2021 first-round pick Justin Fields),” Gagnon added.
New York (Jets) owns the draft’s seventh overall pick, which is not ideal territory for a quarterback this go-round. Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders are expected to be chosen in the Top 3 or Top 5, but after that, another passer may not be selected until Round 2.
That would leave the Jets with the strategy of signing a free-agent quarterback like Darnold or Wilson while possibly onboarding a signal-caller like Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart later in the event.
Darnold spent his first three seasons in New York, drafted by the Jets with the third overall pick in 2018. He did not pan out with the franchise — few quarterbacks do — and bounced around to the Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, and Vikings.
If BR has it right, Darnold rejoining his old team would be deemed one of the most shocking transactions of the offseason.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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