Vikings' Sam Darnold snubbed on list of top-101 NFL players in 2024

Eight quarterbacks made the PFF 101, but Darnold wasn't among them. He probably should've been.

Nolan O'Hara | Feb 21, 2025

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild-card game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 13, 2025. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings only had two of the 101-best players in the NFL in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.

Sam Darnold wasn't one of them. Pro Football Focus (PFF) revealed the final part of its PFF 101, which ranks the top-101 players in the NFL in 2024, on Friday, and Darnold did not make the cut despite ranking in the top five in both passing yards and touchdowns in a resurgent season for the former No. 3 overall draft pick. Eight quarterbacks made the list.

The first Vikings player to make the cut was edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who came in as the No. 82 player in football. Greenard was a standout in his first season in Minnesota, recording 59 total tackles, 12 sacks, four forced fumbles and three passes batted down in 2024. He received an 80.8 overall defensive grade from PFF, 17th of 211 edge rushers.

The other Viking to make the list was wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who came in at No. 24. Only Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase (No. 21) was ranked higher at the position. Jefferson's 1,533 receiving yards ranked second in the league to Chase (1,708) and his 10 touchdown receptions tied for sixth in the NFL. Jefferson received an 87.2 overall offensive grade from PFF, which ranked eighth among the 98 graded wide receivers. His inclusion was a no-brainer.

But a selection for Darnold also seemed to be a no-brainer. Not only did Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 regular-season record, he did it by throwing the ball down the field. Darnold was fifth in the NFL in both passing yards (4,319) and passing touchdowns (35) while throwing just 12 interceptions and completing 66% of his passes. Darnold also had 212 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. He received an 82.7 overall offensive grade from PFF, 12th of 75 graded quarterbacks.

Quarterbacks to make the PFF 101 over Darnold included Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 91), Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 63), Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs (No. 39), Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers (No. 33), Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders (No. 20), MVP Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills (No. 6), Joe Burrow of the Bengals (No. 4) and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens (No. 1).

There's certainly an argument for any of these quarterbacks ahead of Darnold, however, he was on par or ahead of several of them statistically, and it translated to success on the field. The PFF 101 also claims to rank players solely based on their performance in 2024 rather than on an individual player's historical success. Comparing the numbers below, it's hard to make an argument that Darnold doesn't belong among the top-101 players in 2024, perhaps even ahead of a few of these quarterbacks. Let's take a look (Darnold's numbers in comparison to the quarterbacks below are in parentheses):

Jalen Hurts (No. 91)

Passing yards: 2,903 (4,319)
Passing touchdowns: 18 (35)
Interceptions: 5 (12)
Completion percentage: 69% (66%)
Rushing yards: 630 (212)
Rushing touchdowns: 14 (1)
Overall PFF grade: 76.3 (82.7)

Baker Mayfield (No. 63)

Passing yards: 4,500 (4,319)
Passing touchdowns: 41 (35)
Interceptions: 16 (12)
Completion percentage: 71% (66%)
Rushing yards: 378 (212)
Rushing touchdowns: 3 (1)
Overall PFF grade: 86.0 (82.7)

Patrick Mahomes (No. 39)

Passing yards: 3,928 (4,319)
Passing touchdowns: 28 (35)
Interceptions: 11 (12)
Completion percentage: 68% (66%)
Rushing yards: 307 (212)
Rushing touchdowns: 2 (1)
Overall PFF grade: 85.8 (82.7)

Justin Herbert (No. 33)

Passing yards: 3,870 (4,319)
Passing touchdowns: 23 (35)
Interceptions: 3 (12)
Completion percentage: 66% (66%)
Rushing yards: 306 (212)
Rushing touchdowns: 2 (1)
Overall PFF grade: 91.7 (82.7)

Jayden Daniels (No. 20)

Passing yards: 3,568 (4,319)
Passing touchdowns: 25 (35)
Interceptions: 9 (12)
Completion percentage: 69% (66%)
Rushing yards: 891 (212)
Rushing touchdowns: 6 (1)
Overall PFF grade: 89.6 (82.7)

Josh Allen (No. 6)

Passing yards: 3,731 (4,319)
Passing touchdowns: 28 (35)
Interceptions: 6 (12)
Completion percentage: 64% (66%)
Rushing yards: 531 (212)
Rushing touchdowns: 12 (1)
Overall PFF grade: 91.8 (82.7)

Joe Burrow (No. 4)

Passing yards: 4,918 (4,319)
Passing touchdowns: 43 (35)
Interceptions: 9 (12)
Completion percentage: 71% (66%)
Rushing yards: 201 (212)
Rushing touchdowns: 2 (1)
Overall PFF grade: 93.9 (82.7)

Lamar Jackson (No. 1)

Passing yards: 4,172 (4,319)
Passing touchdowns: 41 (35)
Interceptions: 4 (12)
Completion percentage: 67% (66%)
Rushing yards: 915 (212)
Rushing touchdowns: 4 (1)
Overall PFF grade: 94.0 (82.7)