After playing for three different NFL teams, Sam Darnold finds his place as a successful quarterback in Minnesota, along with dedicated fans who have rallied around him.
The Minnesota Vikings welcomed Sam Darnold to the team on March 12th, 2024, signing him to a one year contract worth $10 million. After hearing the tragic news that J.J. McCarthy, the rookie Quarterback in Minnesota, had torn his meniscus in his right knee, Sam Darnold stepped up and took over the starting quarterback job.
Vikings fans were disappointed at first and believed that Sam Darnold wouldn’t be able to put together a successful season, which would make a lot of sense by looking back on his past seasons. His best season was when he played for the New York Jets back in his second season, and it still wasn’t phenomenal. It consisted of 3,024 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He is already well on pace to blow those numbers out of the water with 932 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and three interceptions only four games into the season. This has plenty of people considering if Darnold can win the MVP.
Throughout the past four weeks of the NFL regular season the Vikings have started off with four wins and zero losses, which has fans feeling ecstatic and on top of the world. They are the only undefeated team in the NFL other than the Kansas City Chiefs, though there is a strong argument that the Vikings have the best team, as many of the Chiefs wins have come from last minute penalties and what lots of NFL fans call stupid penalties.
Students at Lower Dauphin had some thoughts on Sam Darnold’s return to the football field as a starting quarterback. Cole Duffy, a junior, had this to say about Darnold’s return, “It’s always great to see talented athletes receive second chances in their career, it also shows that very talented quarterbacks could be drafted into bad teams. It makes me very happy for Sam Darnold, but also makes me wonder how many talented players weren’t given a chance.” David Otto, a junior, when asked about the event said this, “He’s a great player and has a great team around him, he’s doing really well sitting at 4-0 and has a chance to win MVP.”
The future looks bright in Minnesota and the thought of going to the superbowl is starting to cross the minds of many loyal Vikings fans. Sam Darnold, along with his star receiver Justin Jefferson, has brought back the prominence of the Minnesota Vikings ever since they made it to the NFC championship game in 2018 against the eagles. Sam Darnold knows that he has the entire city of Minnesota rooting for him to bring home win after win, even if most NFL fans wrote him off before the season even started.
