When Kirk Cousins left the Minnesota Vikings, it was the beginning of a new era.
Cousins gave the Vikings stability at the quarterback position they’ve rarely had over 60-plus years of existence. Letting him walk was a bold move that chucked Minnesota back into the deep end of veteran journeymen and unknown rookies. Everyone was on pins and needles to see who Cousins’ successor would be.
A few hours later, they had their answer.
“Sam Darnold?”
Minnesota agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract with Darnold late on a March evening, and fans lost their minds. How could the Vikings go from a stable, solid option to a quarterback who has become a punchline on two different teams? They can’t be serious about contending in 2024 with SAM DARNOLD as their quarterback!
This opinion wasn’t just limited to Minnesota. The Vikings enter this season as underdogs in 14 of their 17 games. Sports Illustrated’s Gilbert Manzano predicted them to go 3-14 next season. Even with J.J. McCarthy in the fold, many expect the Vikings to become a disaster.
But they may be victims of The Sam Darnold Effect.
The Darnold Effect, as we’ll call it, isn’t just limited to Darnold. It’s when a quarterback with massive expectations enters the league and immediately face-plants due to their surroundings. Even if the quarterback takes steps to become a better player, our first instinct is to label that player as “bad,” and no success on the field will be able to shake it.
Darnold is a perfect example of this phenomenon. The third-overall pick in the 2018 draft, Darnold walked into a living incinerator with the New York Jets. Hailed as the franchise savior, Darnold started immediately and played with Adam Gase as his head coach, Robbie Chosen as his top target, and Isaiah Crowell as his top rusher.
Darnold posted a 13-25 record in three seasons in New York, and many of his failures came on a national stage. His biggest moments were a Monday Night Football game where he claimed he was “seeing ghosts” and another in whicha mononucleosis graphic became a meme.
I’m not absolving Darnold of his failures in New York, but context played a big role. When the Jets traded him to the Carolina Panthers ahead of the 2021 season, he walked into another toxic situation with Matt Rhule as his head coach. Darnold went 8-9 in two seasons as Carolina’s starter. However, he showed progress, posting a 4-2 record with seven touchdowns and three interceptions after the Panthers fired Rhule late in the 2022 season.
Darnold became a free agent and signed with the San Francisco 49ers to back up Brock Purdy. While Darnold rarely saw the field, he was also learning under a coaching staff and a system that has vaulted other QBs to success.
That worked for Baker Mayfield, who was taken two spots ahead of Darnold in the 2018 draft. After playing under Hue Jackson and Freddie Kitchens in his first two seasons, Mayfield looked like a franchise quarterback under Kevin Stefanski, leading the Cleveland Browns to a playoff win in 2020.
Mayfield’s stock cratered from there as he played through a shoulder injury and faced questions about his maturity as the Browns went 8-9 in 2021. Mayfield joined Darnold in Carolina the following year, but they released him late in the 2022 season. With no place to go, Mayfield went to play under Sean McVay for five games with the Los Angeles Rams before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following offseason.
Like Darnold, Mayfield’s presence led many to believe the Buccaneers would be one of the NFL’s worst teams. However, a new infrastructure brought out the best in him, leading Tampa Bay to a division title and a spot in the playoffs.
The Mayfield example is one that many NFL general managers will use when a stop-gap quarterback works out. Still, there’s a good chance Darnold could take the same path. While Mayfield learned under McVay, Darnold learned under Kyle Shanahan, who is linked to Kevin O’Connell in McVay’s coaching tree.
That doesn’t guarantee that Darnold will put up a Pro Bowl season. However, his presence shouldn’t condemn the Vikings to a three-win season.
Despite constant TikTok videos claiming otherwise, the Vikings still have Justin Jefferson, whowill be with the team for the next four years. Jordan Addison is also a deadly weapon, and T.J. Hockenson will be in the mix once he returns from injury.
Minnesota’s offensive line took a step forward with Brian O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw leading the way, and the Vikings’ defense showed flashes of dominance in Brian Flores’ first season.
Still, Darnold makes the Vikings less attractive than some of their NFC North counterparts.
- The Green Bay Packers have Jordan Love and one of the youngest rosters in the NFL.
- The Detroit Lions have America’s Sweetheart Dan Campbell leading a team that held a 24-7 advantage at halftime of the NFC Championship game.
- Even the Chicago Bears look great with beer goggles on after selecting Caleb Williams with the first-overall pick, Rome Odunze with the ninth-overall pick, and adding Keenan Allen and D’Andre Swift.
All of this happened while the Vikings added Sam Darnold.
The reality is that nobody is expecting Darnold to turn into Patrick Mahomes. Still, he’s stepping into a team that made Joshua Dobbs and Nick Mullens functional after Cousins went down with an Achilles injury. Even if Darnold can’t cut it, the Vikings have McCarthy, who could step in and shepherd the Vikings toward relevancy.
The Vikings have multiple paths to a brighter future, but the Sam Darnold Effect is clouding too many fans’ minds.
Chris Schad
Schad covers the Minnesota Vikings for Zone Coverage. He also writes for Bring Me The News and The Viking Age and hosts The Homer Horn Podcast.
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