QB Sam Darnold, SEA (4 Viewers)

[Kiddnets]

I think he’ll be signed as a bridge QB (as opposed to a franchise QB)

Jets?

Not sure how he felt after getting dumped for Zach wilson - they praised him and it was a past regime so doubt he would burn the bridge if they offer enough. If Im Minny Im not sure I would even risk a franchise tag at this point. Thats a lot of money to hope someone trades for him

Jets are rumored to be high on the Minny trio led by Flores/McCown - if that happens I could definitely see them make a move for Sam.

 

[travdogg]

I think he’ll be signed as a bridge QB (as opposed to a franchise QB)

Jets?

Not sure how he felt after getting dumped for Zach wilson - they praised him and it was a past regime so doubt he would burn the bridge if they offer enough. If Im Minny Im not sure I would even risk a franchise tag at this point. Thats a lot of money to hope someone trades for him

Jets are rumored to be high on the Minny trio led by Flores/McCown - if that happens I could definitely see them make a move for Sam.

I'd feel really bad for Jets fans if that happened.

 

[Kiddnets]

I think he’ll be signed as a bridge QB (as opposed to a franchise QB)

Jets?

Not sure how he felt after getting dumped for Zach wilson - they praised him and it was a past regime so doubt he would burn the bridge if they offer enough. If Im Minny Im not sure I would even risk a franchise tag at this point. Thats a lot of money to hope someone trades for him

Jets are rumored to be high on the Minny trio led by Flores/McCown - if that happens I could definitely see them make a move for Sam.

I'd feel really bad for Jets fans if that happened.

Have you seen the last decade? This would hardly be the straw to make someone feel bad for Jet fans! lol.

 

[travdogg]

I think he’ll be signed as a bridge QB (as opposed to a franchise QB)

Jets?

Not sure how he felt after getting dumped for Zach wilson - they praised him and it was a past regime so doubt he would burn the bridge if they offer enough. If Im Minny Im not sure I would even risk a franchise tag at this point. Thats a lot of money to hope someone trades for him

Jets are rumored to be high on the Minny trio led by Flores/McCown - if that happens I could definitely see them make a move for Sam.

I'd feel really bad for Jets fans if that happened.

Have you seen the last decade? This would hardly be the straw to make someone feel bad for Jet fans! lol.

Its a very "crawling back to your ex that wasn't even good in the first place" vibe.

I don't feel bad for the Rodgers era at all. That was a very worthy idea, he was only a year removed from back-to-back MVPs. Who knows how that goes without the Achilles tear?

I also think very little of Flores. Good (not elite) DC, pretty bad HC. Feels like I just described Saleh all over again.

 

[rockaction]

I don’t want Sam. We saw Sam in Detroit and Sam in Arizona. Two teams finally took him seriously and blitzed his *** off, just like New England did when he saw ghosts.

I want nothing to do with him or Flores. Let Flores sue the NFL from MN and let MN deal with Sam.

Deal for McCarthy if the Jets can (they can’t). I’d sign up for McCown as an offensive head coach so long as he knew what he was doing calling plays. Has he even proven that yet?

We’re going to wind up with a defensive guy. Again. I just know it. Lots of fist-pumping over third and shorts and lots of agony on offense and at QB.

 

[Kiddnets]

I don’t want Sam. We saw Sam in Detroit and Sam in Arizona. Two teams finally took him seriously and blitzed his *** off, just like New England did when he saw ghosts.

I want nothing to do with him or Flores. Let Flores sue the NFL from MN and let MN deal with Sam.

Deal for McCarthy if the Jets can (they can’t). I’d sign up for McCown as an offensive head coach so long as he knew what he was doing calling plays. Has he even proven that yet?

We’re going to wind up with a defensive guy. Again. I just know it. Lots of fist-pumping over third and shorts and lots of agony on offense and at QB.

harsh but fair!

Cant see Minny trading JJ now

 

[Gally]

He’s gonna get way too much blame for this loss, when it was a total team effort. That OL was trash, WRs consistently struggled to get open, and the Vikes OC called an absolutely horrific game & made very few adjustments.

He deserves a lot of the blame but the gameplan was terrible too. KOC definitely got outcoached but Darnold did him no favors. Yes, the Rams D-line was good but Darnold caused many of the sacks by not going to the hot read (which was open quite often) and holding too long without being decisive. It was the Sam of old. The game was too big for him.......again.

In addition, even when he did complete passes they were not good throws. Take the Hockenson TD. It was way behind him and Hock made a tremendous catch on a badly thrown ball. Nailor was open all game long and Darnold missed him multiple times. One of the completions to Nailor was a badly thrown ball behind him that he made a great adjustment on just to tip it to himself for a catch and first down. Darnold was awful even when completing passes.

 

[urbanhack]

He’s gonna get way too much blame for this loss, when it was a total team effort. That OL was trash, WRs consistently struggled to get open, and the Vikes OC called an absolutely horrific game & made very few adjustments.

He deserves a lot of the blame but the gameplan was terrible too. KOC definitely got outcoached but Darnold did him no favors. Yes, the Rams D-line was good but Darnold caused many of the sacks by not going to the hot read (which was open quite often) and holding too long without being decisive. It was the Sam of old. The game was too big for him.......again.

In addition, even when he did complete passes they were not good throws. Take the Hockenson TD. It was way behind him and Hock made a tremendous catch on a badly thrown ball. Nailor was open all game long and Darnold missed him multiple times. One of the completions to Nailor was a badly thrown ball behind him that he made a great adjustment on just to tip it to himself for a catch and first down. Darnold was awful even when completing passes.

The other thing that made Darnold's season were some unbelievable downfield plays by Jefferson and Addison and others all season long. Darnold didn't make one great play in the last two games. Jeffrerson or Addison didn't even have a chance to make a great play...but some of that is on KOC as well.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Wow, how much money did he cost himself over the last two games? He's played two "playoff" games, and didn't impress in either. Is he back to a "prove it" deal, or will a team still see him as a long-term answer?

None.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Jets are rumored to be high on the Minny trio led by Flores/McCown - if that happens I could definitely see them make a move for Sam.

He’s not going back to the Jets. lol

 

[BeTheMatch]

Wow, how much money did he cost himself over the last two games? He's played two "playoff" games, and didn't impress in either. Is he back to a "prove it" deal, or will a team still see him as a long-term answer?

None.

You're crazy

 

[King of the Jungle]

Wow, how much money did he cost himself over the last two games? He's played two "playoff" games, and didn't impress in either. Is he back to a "prove it" deal, or will a team still see him as a long-term answer?

None.

You're crazy

No way to support it, however you have to think a better performance and a playoff win or two would have only helped financially.

 

[Deamon]

Wow, how much money did he cost himself over the last two games? He's played two "playoff" games, and didn't impress in either. Is he back to a "prove it" deal, or will a team still see him as a long-term answer?

None.

You're crazy

ya, to think he didn't cost himself a cent is simply insane.

 

[kface]

I think he easily cost himself a 100 million
I wouldn't sign him to anything but a prove it deal

Having been a JJ and Addison owner i have watched lots of the vikings and there were a number of moments where i thought darnold choked. He choked away both those last 2 games

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Uh yeah. He cost himself boatloads.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Wow, how much money did he cost himself over the last two games? He's played two "playoff" games, and didn't impress in either. Is he back to a "prove it" deal, or will a team still see him as a long-term answer?

None.

You're crazy

No way to support it, however you have to think a better performance and a playoff win or two would have only helped financially.

14 win season
4300+ yards
35 TD to 12 Int

That's his 2024 resume.

@BeTheMatch might think he deserves less in the offseason because of 2 games against playoff teams, but I assure you that NFL GMs aren't as short-sighted. His body of work in 2024 was not supplanted by 2 games against the NFC 1-seed & a well-rested Rams team.

The Rams defense gets a lot of credit for those results.
The DET defense likewise.
The Vikings OL also gets a lot of credit for those results.

FF nerds like us look at the little picture. NFL GMs look at the big picture.

I agree with @King of the Jungle that Darnold might have increased his value with better performances, but he is going to be a highly sought-after commodity the second FA begins, assuming the Vikings don't franchise him.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I think he easily cost himself a 100 million
I wouldn't sign him to anything but a prove it deal

Having been a JJ and Addison owner i have watched lots of the vikings and there were a number of moments where i thought darnold choked. He choked away both those last 2 games

Preposterous.

These are the words of a bitter FF shareholder. He didn't choke away anything. That was a total team effort.

The instant he hits the market he will be offered a multi-year contract by a QB-needy team. Bank on it.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

His absolute best season by far and still has done absolutely nothing to stop my feeling that he's a bust.

4300+ yards and a 35:12 TD:Int rate is a "bust"?

Ooooookay.

 

[-OZ-]

The instant he hits the market he will be offered a multi-year contract by a QB-needy team. Bank on it.

Sure. The only question is $$$.

 

[smbkrypt24]

Wow, how much money did he cost himself over the last two games? He's played two "playoff" games, and didn't impress in either. Is he back to a "prove it" deal, or will a team still see him as a long-term answer?

None.

You're crazy

No way to support it, however you have to think a better performance and a playoff win or two would have only helped financially.

14 win season
4300+ yards
35 TD to 12 Int

That's his 2024 resume.

@BeTheMatch might think he deserves less in the offseason because of 2 games against playoff teams, but I assure you that NFL GMs aren't as short-sighted. His body of work in 2024 was not supplanted by 2 games against the NFC 1-seed & a well-rested Rams team.

The Rams defense gets a lot of credit for those results.
The DET defense likewise.
The Vikings OL also gets a lot of credit for those results.

FF nerds like us look at the little picture. NFL GMs look at the big picture.

I agree with @King of the Jungle that Darnold might have increased his value with better performances, but he is going to be a highly sought-after commodity the second FA begins, assuming the Vikings don't franchise him.

There wasn't a chance you weren't coming in here to defend him regardless of the outcome of the game. Reality is he did cost himself some money where he balls out the last couple games someone may have been signed as a franchise QB. I still think he gets a multi year deal, but he cost himself some money with those last two games.

 

[JoeJoe88]

You can’t even blame the majority of the sacks he took last night on the line. He looked completely lost largely all night, and just ran around aimlessly in the pocket and waited to get taken down. You can’t tell me with Jefferson, Addison, Hockenson, and Aaron Jones, someone wasn’t open downfield. Or at least have the presence of mind to throw the ball away. And when he did make throws most were horrendously off-target. Even the score to Hock was a bad throw, TJ just made a great catch.

 

[Deamon]

Wow, how much money did he cost himself over the last two games? He's played two "playoff" games, and didn't impress in either. Is he back to a "prove it" deal, or will a team still see him as a long-term answer?

None.

You're crazy

No way to support it, however you have to think a better performance and a playoff win or two would have only helped financially.

14 win season
4300+ yards
35 TD to 12 Int

That's his 2024 resume.

@BeTheMatch might think he deserves less in the offseason because of 2 games against playoff teams, but I assure you that NFL GMs aren't as short-sighted. His body of work in 2024 was not supplanted by 2 games against the NFC 1-seed & a well-rested Rams team.

The Rams defense gets a lot of credit for those results.
The DET defense likewise.
The Vikings OL also gets a lot of credit for those results.

FF nerds like us look at the little picture. NFL GMs look at the big picture.

I agree with @King of the Jungle that Darnold might have increased his value with better performances, but he is going to be a highly sought-after commodity the second FA begins, assuming the Vikings don't franchise him.

There wasn't a chance you weren't coming in here to defend him regardless of the outcome of the game. Reality is he did cost himself some money where he balls out the last couple games someone may have been signed as a franchise QB. I still think he gets a multi year deal, but he cost himself some money with those last two games.

Yep, par for the course. To say Darnold didn't cost himself a lot of money and huge contract from the last 2 weeks is incredibly naive.

 

[Deamon]

You can’t even blame the majority of the sacks he took last night on the line. He looked completely lost largely all night, and just ran around aimlessly in the pocket and waited to get taken down. You can’t tell me with Jefferson, Addison, Hockenson, and Aaron Jones, someone wasn’t open downfield. Or at least have the presence of mind to throw the ball away. And when he did make throws most were horrendously off-target. Even the score to Hock was a bad throw, TJ just made a great catch.

Yep, he was totally awful. As bad as bad situations made him look on other teams, this amazing situation made him look great. Completely came back to earth and I think it will be hard for him to shake this going forward. Will be SHOCKED if he's a top 15 QB next year.

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

If not franchised, I'd expect Darnold to sign a contract on the order of what Baker Mayfield signed in 2024 (3 years, 100mil). Let's say 3 years 125mil to account for cap inflation. If he had strong games vs DET and LAR, he likely could have commanded on the order of 5 years 225mil, again assuming no franchise tag. So it isn't out of reason to think that he's cost himself $100mil over this next contract. Of course that doesn't take into account a 2nd contract in the 3year vs 5 year scenario, but that contract is far from guaranteed.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

There wasn't a chance you weren't coming in here to defend him regardless of the outcome of the game.

That’s correct.

Because as I’ve said multiple times, including before this game was played, my belief is that he helped himself to either a franchise tag or a long-term contract elsewhere prior to to this game being played.

It’s entirely consistent with my point above: 1 playoff game did absolutely nothing to hurt his value this coming offseason.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I still think he gets a multi year deal, but he cost himself some money with those last two games.

They’re 2 different things.

He most certainly didn’t “cost himself $100M”, which was the assertion I was responding to.

He might not have helped himself get more $, but that’s debatable.

Hypothetically speaking, let’s say he did ball out (which here seems to imply getting a W” because he wasn’t that bad statistically speaking) - ok, so the Vikings franchise him and he’s on a 1-year deal.

Because he didn’t get the W, now he’s more likely to get a long term contract somewhere else with more guaranteed $, right?

So in effect Darnold might well have earned himself more money by avoiding being franchised.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

You can’t even blame the majority of the sacks he took last night on the line

That’s simply not true. He had unblocked defenders in his lap for 5-6 of them.

I’d say 1 he definitely should have thrown it away, and 2 he spent too much time looking for a receiver (coverage sacks)

Those were on him. The rest were bad (or no) blocking.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

If not franchised, I'd expect Darnold to sign a contract on the order of what Baker Mayfield signed in 2024 (3 years, 100mil). Let's say 3 years 125mil to account for cap inflation. If he had strong games vs DET and LAR, he likely could have commanded on the order of 5 years 225mil, again assuming no franchise tag. So it isn't out of reason to think that he's cost himself $100mil over this next contract. Of course that doesn't take into account a 2nd contract in the 3year vs 5 year scenario, but that contract is far from guaranteed.

I think that’s exaggerated. I doubt he’d get the 5 year/225 deal.

I think he’d likely get 3/100 regardless of outcome of that game.

It’s the amount of guaranteed $ he probably lost - but we’ll know that when we cross that bridge.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

The instant he hits the market he will be offered a multi-year contract by a QB-needy team. Bank on it.

Sure. The only question is $$$.

More specifically guaranteed $$$

I don’t think it was a $100M swing regardless.

 

[smbkrypt24]

I still think he gets a multi year deal, but he cost himself some money with those last two games.

They’re 2 different things.

He most certainly didn’t “cost himself $100M”, which was the assertion I was responding to.

He might not have helped himself get more $, but that’s debatable.

Hypothetically speaking, let’s say he did ball out (which here seems to imply getting a W” because he wasn’t that bad statistically speaking) - ok, so the Vikings franchise him and he’s on a 1-year deal.

Because he didn’t get the W, now he’s more likely to get a long term contract somewhere else with more guaranteed $, right?

So in effect Darnold might well have earned himself more money by avoiding being franchised.

He could also play the lottery to try to make up the difference he was going to get if he didn't play bad the last two games of this season (week 18 and first round of the playoffs). Then he wins the lottery and makes even more and again you are correct. Come on these rabbit holes are wild.

 

[Dickies]

Feel kinda bad for Darnold. I did not watch a lot of Vikings games, but he overall had a pretty good season only for it to all come undone in the last two games. Saw on Reddit that the Vikings only lost to the Lions and Rams all season. I do think it's clear that he is a better quarterback than people gave him credit for and seems like a pretty good dude overall. Hopefully he gets rewarded for the season he had.

 

[MAC_32]

FF nerds like us look at the little picture. NFL GMs look at the big picture.

I (sorta) agree with this, which is why I don't agree with you.

I say 'sorta' above because most NFL GM's should be looking at the big picture. The reality is not all of them do, and for a variety of reasons. Short-sighted and ill-advised decisions happen in the NFL all the time, especially on teams with poor ownership. Because of this, I think it's possible some desperate team still pays him 'more than he is worth' (if you will). The QB market is inherently irrational, so all it takes is one outlier.

That said, NFL GM's should be looking at Darnold with a big picture mindset. Can I win the games that matter with him? And that answer is no. He was in a great situation in Minnesota- environment, coaching, personnel. Due to that he was in a position to be on a 14-2 team. Credit where credit's due, they beat some good teams early in the season, but what did they do midseason and beyond? They went 1-4 against playoff teams, getting their doors blown off in the last 2, when Darnold was objectively terrible. That's the ceiling. As a GM, am I putting my career on the line for a guy whose best case scenario, if I build a great situation around him, is to make the playoffs and get blown out as soon as I play a good team.

The lack of question mark is intentional.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

FF nerds like us look at the little picture. NFL GMs look at the big picture.

I (sorta) agree with this, which is why I don't agree with you.

I say 'sorta' above because most NFL GM's should be looking at the big picture. The reality is not all of them do, and for a variety of reasons. Short-sighted and ill-advised decisions happen in the NFL all the time, especially on teams with poor ownership. Because of this, I think it's possible some desperate team still pays him 'more than he is worth' (if you will). The QB market is inherently irrational, so all it takes is one outlier.

That said, NFL GM's should be looking at Darnold with a big picture mindset. Can I win the games that matter with him? And that answer is no. He was in a great situation in Minnesota- environment, coaching, personnel. Due to that he was in a position to be on a 14-2 team. Credit where credit's due, they beat some good teams early in the season, but what did they do midseason and beyond? They went 1-4 against playoff teams, getting their doors blown off in the last 2, when Darnold was objectively terrible. That's the ceiling. As a GM, am I putting my career on the line for a guy whose best case scenario, if I build a great situation around him, is to make the playoffs and get blown out as soon as I play a good team.

The lack of question mark is intentional.

Maybe. Maybe not.

I’m not sure the bolded is accurate. He won plenty of “big games” in 2024.

That’s a popular narrative here based on that small sample size, but again, that’s a different question.

The question is is whether he cost himself $100M. Thats the assertion I was replying to.

I don’t think he did. I don’t think that opinion makes me “crazy”. I might be wrong, but I also might be right.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I still think he gets a multi year deal, but he cost himself some money with those last two games.

They’re 2 different things.

He most certainly didn’t “cost himself $100M”, which was the assertion I was responding to.

He might not have helped himself get more $, but that’s debatable.

Hypothetically speaking, let’s say he did ball out (which here seems to imply getting a W” because he wasn’t that bad statistically speaking) - ok, so the Vikings franchise him and he’s on a 1-year deal.

Because he didn’t get the W, now he’s more likely to get a long term contract somewhere else with more guaranteed $, right?

So in effect Darnold might well have earned himself more money by avoiding being franchised.

He could also play the lottery to try to make up the difference he was going to get if he didn't play bad the last two games of this season (week 18 and first round of the playoffs). Then he wins the lottery and makes even more and again you are correct. Come on these rabbit holes are wild.

I’m not following this.

I didn’t go down a rabbit hole - I described the likely scenario that he now won’t be franchised.

Enjoy your day.

 

[Joe Schmo]

I don't see how any reputable GM can feel comfortable bringing in Darnold on a 3-yr contract with the presumption he is my starting qb during this term. It would likely take a major sell job to convince the staff, locker room and fans that this is The Guy for the franchise. I just don't see it, everything about Darnold screams JAG.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Well here’s a timely update:

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes that teams he spoken to recently “forecasted” Sam Darnold in the “Geno Smith/Baker Mayfield weight class of contracts.”
Mayfield signed a three-year, $100 million deal with the Buccaneers last offseason, while Geno Smith signed a three-year, $75 million contract prior to the 2023 season. While watching Darnold destruct against the Rams last night was horrifying, he definitely waltzes into the offseason as the best quarterback available in free agency. If the Vikings can retain him on a contract similar to Mayfield’s, perhaps one that only carries some guarantees in 2026 as the team figures out what the J.J. McCarthy looks like, that’d probably be better for the organization than relying purely on a quarterback who couldn’t practice with the team all season because of injury.

3/100 sounds about right. Just as I said above.

He’s only cost himself $ if you think a team was gonna give him 5/250M.

 

[Joe Schmo]

Is he Kirk Cousins or is he Daniel Jones or is he Mitch Trubisky?

 

[MAC_32]

FF nerds like us look at the little picture. NFL GMs look at the big picture.

I (sorta) agree with this, which is why I don't agree with you.

I say 'sorta' above because most NFL GM's should be looking at the big picture. The reality is not all of them do, and for a variety of reasons. Short-sighted and ill-advised decisions happen in the NFL all the time, especially on teams with poor ownership. Because of this, I think it's possible some desperate team still pays him 'more than he is worth' (if you will). The QB market is inherently irrational, so all it takes is one outlier.

That said, NFL GM's should be looking at Darnold with a big picture mindset. Can I win the games that matter with him? And that answer is no. He was in a great situation in Minnesota- environment, coaching, personnel. Due to that he was in a position to be on a 14-2 team. Credit where credit's due, they beat some good teams early in the season, but what did they do midseason and beyond? They went 1-4 against playoff teams, getting their doors blown off in the last 2, when Darnold was objectively terrible. That's the ceiling. As a GM, am I putting my career on the line for a guy whose best case scenario, if I build a great situation around him, is to make the playoffs and get blown out as soon as I play a good team.

The lack of question mark is intentional.

Maybe. Maybe not.

I’m not sure the bolded is accurate. He won plenty of “big games” in 2024.

That’s a popular narrative here based on that small sample size, but again, that’s a different question.

The question is is whether he cost himself $100M. Thats the assertion I was replying to.

I don’t think he did. I don’t think that opinion makes me “crazy”. I might be wrong, but I also might be right.

A single year is a small sample size, correct, which is why it's important to tie that into his big picture (66 games played over 6 years prior) when assessing what he is and projecting what he could be. I understand you're asserting to the $100m subject, I'm intentionally not because NFL front offices make stupid decisions all the time, especially at QB.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I don't see how any reputable GM can feel comfortable bringing in Darnold on a 3-yr contract with the presumption he is my starting qb during this term. It would likely take a major sell job to convince the staff, locker room and fans that this is The Guy for the franchise. I just don't see it, everything about Darnold screams JAG.

It’s a tough market. There aren’t enough QBs for the teams that need them.

It’ll be interesting to see what Brock Purdy commands. Purdy has better mentals, but Darnold has better physical attributes.

Anyway, it’s just supply & demand. Someone’s gonna pay Darnold. It’s just a question of who and how much will be guaranteed.

 

[Joe Schmo]

Well here’s a timely update:

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes that teams he spoken to recently “forecasted” Sam Darnold in the “Geno Smith/Baker Mayfield weight class of contracts.”
Mayfield signed a three-year, $100 million deal with the Buccaneers last offseason, while Geno Smith signed a three-year, $75 million contract prior to the 2023 season. While watching Darnold destruct against the Rams last night was horrifying, he definitely waltzes into the offseason as the best quarterback available in free agency. If the Vikings can retain him on a contract similar to Mayfield’s, perhaps one that only carries some guarantees in 2026 as the team figures out what the J.J. McCarthy looks like, that’d probably be better for the organization than relying purely on a quarterback who couldn’t practice with the team all season because of injury.

3/100 sounds about right. Just as I said above.

He’s only cost himself $ if you think a team was gonna give him 5/250M.

This is where Darnold lost himself money.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

A single year is a small sample size, correct, which is why it's important to tie that into his big picture (66 games played over 6 years prior) when assessing what he is and projecting what he could be. I understand you're asserting to the $100m subject, I'm intentionally not because NFL front offices make stupid decisions all the time, especially at QB.

Hard to count the time with Jets without taking it with a huge grain of salt. We’ve now seen both Geno & Darnold have success away from that franchise.

And IIRC Darnold had some flashes with the Panthers, which was another not great team.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

This is where Darnold lost himself money.

I can meet you halfway on that, sure.

 

[travdogg]

You can’t even blame the majority of the sacks he took last night on the line

That’s simply not true. He had unblocked defenders in his lap for 5-6 of them.

I’d say 1 he definitely should have thrown it away, and 2 he spent too much time looking for a receiver (coverage sacks)

Those were on him. The rest were bad (or no) blocking.

I watched every sack again today. I'd put 7 of the 9 on Darnold. Many times he just sat there waiting to be sacked, he also did some running into sacks, like he thought he was Lamar and could run by defenders that weren't about to sack him.

The OL wasn't good, but wasn't horrific. The interior actually held up just fine, the edges had rough games, even more so when O'Neill went out, but Darnold just sat there stupefied.

1st sack: Darnold stood in the pocket for almost 5 seconds until the ends converged on him.

2nd sack: Darnold held the ball for 4 seconds, stepped up into the sack as edges started to close. Had Nailor open for an easy 10-yard gain.

3rd sack: Unblocked defender, got him in 3 seconds. Had Hockenson uncovered right behind where defender came from.

4th sack: Got sacked by an unblocked defender who blitzed late. Still had 3 seconds. Had Addison on an out route that he was staring right at, but didn't pull the trigger. That was the fumble for the TD. Also had Hockenson wide open again behind where defender blitzed.

5th sack: Held the ball for 6 seconds bobbing and weaving in the pocket. There was no pressure really. Had Jones in the flat but was big play hunting.

6th sack: 4-man rush got there, nobody was really open. Coverage sack. Not on Darnold.

7th sack: Held the ball for 7 seconds. Hockenson was wide open in front of his face for 6+ on 3rd and 8. He almost certainly falls forward for the first. Ham also was open in the flat, not sure he'd have gotten 8 yards, but they lost 8 more on the sack. One of the worst sacks I've ever seen a QB take.

8th sack: Rams ran a beautiful stunt where the DE took both guys, and the DT came around unblocked. Not on Darnold.

9th sack: Darnold has Mundt wide open with nobody within 5 yards of him, he pump fakes, and then takes 2 steps forward directly into Cam Robinson who's defender gets the sack.

This was a deer in the headlights performance.

Darnold has always had a good arm, and has had inconsistent accuracy, but often good. The biggest issue has always been decision making. To be honest, his decision making wasn't any better than its ever been (same as it ever was) and his pocket awareness may have been worse than its ever been. Instead of maybe throwing risky passes, he just took sacks, and that's been a theme all season. Its just gotten more of a pass because the big plays went way up.

You can't be consistently holding the ball for 4 seconds, unless you either have excellent blocking, or you are extremely mobile. Guys like Hurts and Lamar and young Russ can get away with it, Darnold can't. I feel like if we switched QBs are kept everything else the same, Stafford in the same situation gets sacked maybe 3 times.

 

[MAC_32]

A single year is a small sample size, correct, which is why it's important to tie that into his big picture (66 games played over 6 years prior) when assessing what he is and projecting what he could be. I understand you're asserting to the $100m subject, I'm intentionally not because NFL front offices make stupid decisions all the time, especially at QB.

Hard to count the time with Jets without taking it with a huge grain of salt. We’ve now seen both Geno & Darnold have success away from that franchise.

And IIRC Darnold had some flashes with the Panthers, which was another not great team.

The Seahawks have one playoff appearance since Geno became starter and got blown out. GM's should be asking the same question with Sam as they hypothetically should with Geno - can I win big games with him? So far, that answer is no.

 

[travdogg]

Is he Kirk Cousins or is he Daniel Jones or is he Mitch Trubisky?

Cousins>>>Darnold>Jones>>>>Trubisky

 

[Donnybrook]

I wonder if Los Vegas would be attractive place for Darnold if Ben Johnson takes the job. I mean he making Goff look like an all pro, I mean the guys in the trenches have a lot to do with it as well. I am thinking a 2-3 bridge QB deal. I think los Vegas is actually more malleable to change than some of the other organizations.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Is he Kirk Cousins or is he Daniel Jones or is he Mitch Trubisky?

Cousins>>>Darnold>Jones>>>>Trubisky

I’m not sure Cousins belongs there after this year. He hasn’t looked at all the same since the injury.

I’m wondering where Drew Lock is on that scale, since the Giants might be a landing spot.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

The interior actually held up just fine,

Except for when a defender came in unabated you mean?

lol

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I wonder if Los Vegas would be attractive place for Darnold if Ben Johnson takes the job. I mean he making Goff look like an all pro, I mean the guys in the trenches have a lot to do with it as well. I am thinking a 2-3 bridge QB deal. I think los Vegas is actually more malleable to change than some of the other organizations.

I had that same thought. Unfortunately for Darnold, other than TE, the Raiders offensive weaponry is pretty meager.

 

[smbkrypt24]

I still think he gets a multi year deal, but he cost himself some money with those last two games.

They’re 2 different things.

He most certainly didn’t “cost himself $100M”, which was the assertion I was responding to.

He might not have helped himself get more $, but that’s debatable.

Hypothetically speaking, let’s say he did ball out (which here seems to imply getting a W” because he wasn’t that bad statistically speaking) - ok, so the Vikings franchise him and he’s on a 1-year deal.

Because he didn’t get the W, now he’s more likely to get a long term contract somewhere else with more guaranteed $, right?

So in effect Darnold might well have earned himself more money by avoiding being franchised.

He could also play the lottery to try to make up the difference he was going to get if he didn't play bad the last two games of this season (week 18 and first round of the playoffs). Then he wins the lottery and makes even more and again you are correct. Come on these rabbit holes are wild.

I’m not following this.

I didn’t go down a rabbit hole - I described the likely scenario that he now won’t be franchised.

Enjoy your day.

My hypothetical was thrown out because of your logic. You think because of his play he may not get franchised anymore, but it didn't cost him money. We could go down so many hypotheticals, but they don't help anything.

My stance and argument is he will get a multi year contract if he wants, but those games cost him money.