The Sam Darnold saga is the most enjoyable narrative of the young NFL season. The third pick in the 2018 NFL draft, Darnold flamed out in New York with the Jets and in Carolina with the Panthers before spending a year working with Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers as a backup.
The Minnesota Vikings signed Darnold to a one-year deal in free agency to provide some depth at QB after losing Kirk Cousins. Once the franchise selected Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 draft, Darnold was seen as nothing more than a placeholder who will hold down the fort until the kid is ready. Then McCarthy suffered a knee injury and got knocked out for the season, thrusting Darnold into the spotlight—and he has killed, leading Minnesota to three straight wins while playing quality ball to start the year.
The subject came up on Monday's edition of the Pat McAfee Show after Darnold threw four touchdowns to beat the Houston Texans on Sunday. Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was a guest and tried his hand at playing insider, revealing that he spoke to people within Darnold's previous organizations. The longtime head coach said just about everybody he spoke to liked Darnold—with one exception.
"I'll say this: everybody has liked Darnold except the Jets," Belichick stated. "The people in Carolina I talked to, they really liked him. ... I know that Kevin [O'Connell] and some of the coaches in Minnesota, they really like this guy, too. So it seems like the only people who didn't like Darnold were the Jets."
Bill Belichick talking about Sam Darnold:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 23, 2024
"Everybody has liked Darnold, expect the Jets."
(🎥 @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/Ty0aR2BxUL
It perhaps shouldn't be such a shocking revelation. Darnold was picked out of USC to be the future of the Jets. He, like many quarterbacks who came before him, failed. New York finished dead last in the AFC East in two of Darnold's three season as a starter and the only memorable aspect of his tenure is the mono meme. Expectations were much lower for Darnold in each of his subsequent stops, which may play a factor in what Belichick is hearing.
Regardless of what's happened in the past, everyone loves Sam Darnold now. What's not to like?
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bill Belichick Calls Out Jets During Sam Darnold Discussion on the 'Pat McAfee Show' .
