
Sam Darnold Is Getting Hosed In An Award Race He Deserves To Win
Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback Sam Darnold has (at least so far) shaken the reputation he developed after coming into the league in 2018, leading Minnesota to a 5-0 start in the 2024 season.
Darnold was written off as a bust after being picked with the #3 overall pick in the 2108 NFL Draft by the Jets, only spending a couple of years there before being jettisoned. He landed with the Panthers for a bit, then played a backup role for the 49ers before landing with the Vikings.
The Vikings didn't bring Darnold onto the team with the goal of being a long-term solution at the quarterback position in Minnesota, being labeled as a bridge and mentor for the Vikings' 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, J.J. McCarthy, the team's quarterback of the future.
While McCarthy wasn't anticipated to start the season playing with Minnesota, his season-ending injury in the preseason cemented Darnold's role as the starter for the 2024 campaign.
In that campaign, he's led the league in touchdown passes, has the longest touchdown pass of the season, has one of the highest passer ratings among starting quarterbacks, and has made some other scoring history.
While the season is far from over, a lot of people would argue Minnesota's #14 should be a frontrunner for comeback player of the year after resurrecting his career with the Vikings. As it turns out, he probably can't.
As senior NFL writer for the AP Rob Maaddi explains, the criteria for being a candidate for Comeback Player of the Year has been adjusted by the AP, essentially disqualifying him from winning the honor.
This, despite Geno Smith doing exactly what Sam Darnold is doing now in 2022, resurrecting his career and winning Comeback Player of the Year.
According to Maaddi, the AP issued guidance to voters for NFL awards to consider “the spirit of the award is to honor a player who has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season.”
Darnold is not returning from injury. Just a series of crappy situations. Because of that, it looks like he's out for that award. Which is kind of lame, considering Geno literally did this same thing two seasons ago. They just had to go and change the rules now, just in time to leave Sam out of consideration. Of course.

While it looks like Sam is out for Comeback Player of the Year, Maaddi does point out that he very much could still be considered for another honor if he keeps up his pace of play. One many would argue is even more prestigious: Most Valuable Player.
Again, there's a lot of season left, but Sam has lit things up for Minnesota leading up to the team's bye week. SKOL!
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Gallery Credit: Troy Dunken