2025 NFL free company: What to love, not like, about QB Sam Darnold

The New York Giants are in determined want of a quarterback. It could behoove normal supervisor Joe Schoen to take a number of kicks on the can to rectify this persistent situation that’s plagued the Giants for the higher half of a decade.

Former New York Jets’ castaway Sam Darnold is arguably probably the most fascinating free-agent quarterback. Darnold had a profession 12 months, throwing for 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with a Huge Time Throw Fee of 5.6%. The 27-year-old added 212 yards on the bottom with one dashing landing and eight fumbles.

Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 file, and conversations about extending Darnold’s longevity with the franchise began to percolate the airwaves in Minnesota; this was particularly profound as a result of the Vikings spent their first-round choice on Michigan quarterbackJ.J. McCarthy, however the rookie tore his meniscus within the preseason and missed the season.

Nevertheless, ghosts from Darnold’s previous appeared in his remaining — and most necessary — two video games of the season. The Vikings had an opportunity to earn the number-one seed of their Week 18 video games in opposition to Detroit; the winner took the one seed, and the loser misplaced home-field benefit and assumed the fifth seed.

Darnold was pressured 33 instances by Detroit and seemed rattled for many of the sport. He completed with simply 166 yards passing. He completed with a season-low 4 yards per go try. The Lions beat Minnesota, 31-9.

He threw for 245 passing yards within the Vikings’ 27-9 Wildcard loss in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams. Once more, he seemed uncomfortable because the Rams’ potent younger go rush pressured him 43 instances.

His two remaining performances might have value him hundreds of thousands of {dollars}. This might work to the benefit of the New York Giants, who shouldn’t break the financial institution for a participant like Darnold. I like Darnold. He has expertise and the uncooked bodily traits to achieve success. He proved that with Kevin O’Connell, Justin Jefferson, and Jordan Addison in 2024, however there’s not a constant sufficient observe file to pay Darnold $55-plus million a 12 months.

Nevertheless, with the Vikings’ premature demise — which many lay on the ft of Darnold — he’ll possible be obtainable at a way more discounted charge. Let’s assessment a few of Darnold’s tape to showcase his potential and the throws in his repertoire.

Positives
Anticipation/ball placement

This third-and-8 conversion in opposition to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2 highlights two elite traits that Darnold does showcase, albeit it’s not at all times constant: anticipation and ball placement.

The nonetheless picture reveals Darnold begin to throw as Jalen Nailor (83) reaches the 45-yard line — the catch was made on the 30-yard line. Darnold does a wonderful job processing this protection and understanding Nailor’s relationship to the protection.

It’s a smash/seam to the sector facet in opposition to a Cowl-2 protection, with Trent Sherfield Sr. (11) working the quick three-motion because the nook route, which pulled Isaac Yiadom (22) towards the sector facet. Yiadom flips his hips inward, giving Nailor more room up the seam. Darnold did a wonderful job processing this error and seeing the 2 safeties cut up into their deep-half duties.

Darnold launched the soccer earlier than Nailor turned to find it and positioned it on Nailor’s back-hip, away from Yiadom’s leverage and the boundary security, who had extra of a direct path to the catch level. The timing, imaginative and prescient, anticipation, and ball placement on this go are good.

Darnold threw Addison (3) open on this deep crossing route. Justin Jefferson (18) motioned to stack on Addison, who then launched inward in opposition to the Cowl-3 protection. Jefferson’s movement expanded linebacker Jack Sanborn (57) sufficient to offer Addison a free launch whereas the play motion occupied the eyes of the opposite field defenders.

T.J. Edwards (53) did job getting beneath the bottom cross (Addison), which pressured Darnold to throw Addison open whereas blanketed excessive by the security and beneath by Edwards. The throw allowed Addison to safe the catch and run the tight rope up the sideline by a poor security sort out try. Quarterbacks enabling receivers to maximise yards after the catch are fascinating, and Darnold did that usually in 2024.

Darnold does a wonderful job underneath middle off the play motion to search out Jefferson deep. His means to navigate the pocket and use his mobility to increase the play is showcased right here.

The pocket administration, means to keep away from the high-side rush and step into the B-gap, and throw on the run have been all spectacular, however the ball placement was sensational.

By contact and whereas shifting, Darnold lofted the ball over prime of the beneath defender and proper into Jefferson’s outdoors shoulder. This means to throw away from defensive leverage is invaluable. Darnold was in a position to do that pretty persistently all year long, however, as we’ll see later, strain is the catalyst to Darnold’s demise.

Far hash/velocity

Darnold does job resetting the pocket on this double transfer to Addison in opposition to man protection. That is an anticipatory go from the far-hash that went for 20 yards and a landing. Darnold felt the high-side strain off the under-center play motion go. I recognize how he discovered security inside the pocket and didn’t panic. The throw was strong and he allowed Addison to run beneath it.

Darnold showcased velocity on tape all through the season, however there weren’t many far-hash connections outdoors the numbers on routes like comebacks or curls. I don’t consider this was because of an insufficiency on Darnold’s half however quite simply the type of O’Connell’s offense. Darnold completed 34 of 71 (48%) on throws outdoors the numbers (close to and much) between 10 to twenty yards.

The throw in opposition to the Falcons above is a good illustration of contact and velocity. Jefferson’s movement drew the beneath defender and compelled a change, which allowed Addison to realize extra separation, particularly together with his outdoors stem on the line of scrimmage. Nonetheless, the Falcons’ defender obtained into Addison’s hip properly, so Darnold needed to place the ball excessive and outdoors, however on the fringes of Addison’s radius, but not too far out of bounds. Once more, Darnold did an elite job together with his ball placement.

Darnold rapidly will get the soccer out of his hand to Addison for a landing. That is one other FANTASTIC job by O’Connell to arrange this simple rating from the far-hash. Jefferson motions inward to shift A.J. Terrell (24) within Addison, who has a six-yard cushion in opposition to Dee Alford (20). Alford’s hips orient to Jefferson, giving Addison ample house to succeed outdoors; Darnold hit his again foot, noticed the leverage, and fired the soccer to the entrance pylon for the rating.

Contact/timing

One other well-timed throw from Darnold that’s harking back to Russell Wilson’s teardrop go. Atlanta is in Cowl-3 and Darnold confirmed the security rotation over Jefferson, which meant a one-on-one matchup for Addison to the sector facet. Nevertheless, security Jessie Bates (3) is without doubt one of the higher safeties, and Clark Phillips III (22) is a strong cornerback, albeit he allowed Addison to stack him.

Darnold launched the soccer earlier than getting hit and put it inside and away from Phillips III, but was nonetheless capable of beat Bates. Darnold’s hips/eyes earlier than the soccer was launched have been one motive for the success of this go, in addition to the trajectory that allowed Addison to lean inward to the highest of the numbers. Darnold’s means to maintain Addison on the numbers and away from Bates whereas nonetheless avoiding Phillips III was glorious.

Darnold rapidly confirmed the one-on-one matchup with Jefferson and Colts’ cornerback Samuel Womack III in opposition to a middle-of-the-field closed protection. Jefferson simply created separation off his launch, and Darnold lofted the soccer excessive of the cornerback, permitting Jefferson to run beneath and safe the soccer on the 10-yard line.

Negatives

Like most quarterbacks, strain haunts Darnold. Unique blitzes and the flexibility to hit him early and infrequently throws his timing, rhythm, and ball placement off, and this was obvious in his remaining two video games of the season.

The Vikings went for this fourth-and-short landing try down seven in — what was — a slow-starting sport that ended 31-9, Lions. Darnold couldn’t discover a solution on this play, nor may he discover many in Detroit on this pivotal Week 18 matchup. We see Addison open on the prime of the display with a fantastically designed rub in opposition to man protection. I’m not within the huddle — clearly — I’m in a mildly snug laptop chair watching tape. But, I’ve to think about Addison and Darnold have the understanding to finish the go if a possibility presents itself earlier than Addison breaks to the again pylon.

The rub designed by the Vikings labored completely off Addison’s preliminary inside stem. Nailor occupied each defenders, and Addison broke to the entrance pylon wide-open. Darnold confirmed man protection, didn’t try the go, and tried to benefit from the one-on-one to Jefferson to the alternative facet. I’ll hardly ever critique a quarterback making an attempt to leverage the talents of Justin Jefferson, however Addison is wide-open on a got-to-have-it-play.

I simply should think about that the double-move was secondary to the decide’s success, and Darnold may have had the choice of hitting Addison out of his preliminary break; if that’s the case, this was simple factors, however Darnold didn’t belief his eyes, and the Vikings turned the soccer over on downs; plus, Darnold missed Jefferson excessive and away.

When Darnold is hit usually, he tends to carry onto the soccer too lengthy and never see his choices or undergo his progressions as successfully as he tends to do when saved clear. This manifested in opposition to the Rams on third-and-8.

T.J. Hockenson (88) was sitting about two yards forward of the sticks in Darnold’s imaginative and prescient. Los Angeles did a fantastic job protecting the center of the sector, which eliminated the 2 in-breaking routes for Darnold. After the movement, the No. 3 receiver was extensive open on the out-and-up, which was a miss, however Darnold additionally had a straightforward completion to Hockenson obtainable.

We see him drop his eyes and look indecisive, unconfident, and rattled when a number of choices can be found in a key state of affairs. Herein lies the difficulty with Sam Darnold. He has but to show a constant means to beat strain.

Ultimate ideas

I don’t thoughts the thought of Sam Darnold on a reduction, nevertheless it must be a discount of his rumored worth earlier than Week 18. He signed a one-year, $10-million contract with Minnesota final low season. Some shops have projected him north of $55 million a 12 months; I consider it will likely be lower than that now.

His market worth on Spotrac.com is $40.1 million common annual worth over 4 years — primarily, the Daniel Jones contract. Darnold has extra expertise than Jones and higher instruments to work with, however I’m unsold that Darnold is the answer to rectify the Giants’ long-standing issues on the place.

I desire the Giants go along with cheaper choices by way of free company and the draft quite than spend up on the peak of a participant’s worth who’s finest recognized for inconsistency and faltering when the lights are brightest. I like Darnold, simply not at this worth, which seems to be his market.