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The Minnesota Vikings may have found their franchise quarterback in Sam Darnold. Legendary head coach Bill Belichick thinks so. He expressed that on The Pat McAfee Show, while also taking a shot at the New York Jets on Monday, per Ari Meirov on X, formerly Twitter.
“Everybody has liked Darnold,” Belichick said. “Except the Jets.”
Darnold, a No. 3 overall pick by the Jets in 2018, played there for three seasons before the franchise traded him to the Carolina Panthers in 2020. The Jets were 13-25 with Darnold as starting QB, and he threw 39 interceptions in that span. As Belichick put it, though, it seems like the problem may have been with the Jets and not Darnold. He could be right.
The Vikings took a chance on Darnold in the offseason, signing him to a one-year deal in March. After drafting Michigan's J.J. McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, it appeared that the veteran Darnold would warm the Vikings' starting QB seat while McCarthy developed. Things have changed in a hurry. McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason, and Darnold is leading the NFL in passing touchdowns with eight.
Sam Darnold is an early NFL MVP candidate
The Vikings are the NFL's most impressive team through three weeks. Much of that success has to do with Darnold, and his innate ability to form a steady connection with his receiving corps. In their surprising 34-7 victory over the Houston Texans, the Vikings watched nervously when Darnold had to leave the game with a knee injury. However, he told reporters after the game that the knee is OK.
“It's good, and that's as much as I'm going to say about it,” Darnold told Pro Football Talk by phone after the Week 3 win, per Mike Florio of NBC Sports.
The 27-year-old quarterback is having an MRI on Monday, and Minnesota will be holding its breath awaiting his Week 4 status.
