Sam Darnold grabbed Vikings' attention with Christmas performance in 2023

Darnold appeared to be playing faster with good coaching and talented players around him.

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Imagine how good the Vikings could be if Sam Darnold is to Minnesota what Geno Smith has been to the Seahawks.

The Vikings signed Darnold to a one-year, $10 million contract this offseason, setting the stage for the 27-year-old to potential revive his career after falling into a backup role six years after being drafted third overall by the Jets in 2018. The Vikings certainly believe Darnold can be a winning, bridge quarterback to rookie J.J. McCarthy in 2025.

"I think they think higher of Sam Darnold than a lot of people do," Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer told Rich Eisen this week. "I think the Vikings feel that he is a distressed asset and a guy who wasn't properly raised in the league and dealt with a lot of rocky waters."

The biggest difference between his previous situations in New York and Carolina compared to what he will have in Minnesota is the weapons around him. Outside of a young D.J. Moore and an oft-injured Christian McCaffery with the Panthers, he was forced to rely on Robbie Chosen and Quincy Enunwa. With the Vikings he will be throwing to one of the best wide receivers in football, Justin Jefferson, and intriguing complementary pieces like Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones and T.J. Hockenson.

There have been plenty of quarterbacks taken high in the draft that flourished later in their careers. Recently, players like Ryan Tannehill with the Titans and Smith with the Seahawks.

"I guess there's almost like a Geno Smith quality to it," Breer said of Darnold's situation in Minnesota. "This guy's had a chance to take a minute and learn from his mistakes."

Smith's breakout season in Seattle came when he was 32 years old. He had only two previous seasons as a full-time starter compared to five for Darnold. The biggest difference between the two situations is the fact that Minnesota used a high draft pick on its quarterback of the future while Smith only had to stave off Drew Lock, who the Seahawks acquired in the Russell Wilson trade.

"Sam had a really strong spring, so what does that do to J.J. McCarthy? I think it enables them to be patient when they need to be with J.J. McCarthy," Breer said. "I know Kevin [O'Connell] has been very detailed about putting a tiered (plan) –– you have to hit these markers before we put you on the field. A lot of coaches say that with first-round quarterbacks, but they don't really do it."

Smith had much more time as a backup, making no more than one start for five straight seasons before his breakout year with the Seahawks in 2022. Darnold only had one season in San Francisco, but with one of the most stable franchises in the NFL, he was able to learn a lot.

"I would implore anyone listening to this, to go back to the fourth quarter of the 49ers/Ravens, Christmas night game," Breer told Eisen. "I remember watching the end of that game and seeing the context of him having those players around him and those coaches around him and playing for Kyle Shanahan. I remember thinking to myself, 'this guy is playing faster like this looks like a different player.' I talked to Kevin O'Connell about that and they said they saw the same thing."

In that game against the Ravens, Darnold threw for 81 yards on 8-of-14 passing, adding a touchdown and an interception. Ultimately, it's very hard to predict how quickly a first-round quarterback will make the transition into the NFL, but with Darnold, the Vikings don't have to rush the situation with McCarthy.

And they just might be pretty good with Darnold at the helm.