Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold watches from the sector throughout the first half of a highway sport in opposition to the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium. On Nov. 2, 2025, Darnold led Seattle’s offense in Landover, Maryland, because the Seahawks continued their push by the center portion of the common season. Obligatory Credit score: Amber Searls-Imagn Photographs.
Don’t hand over on quarterbacks after a handful of video games, and for rattling positive don’t depend on social media and TikTokers as your supply for quarterback intel — that’s Sam Darnold’s message to the lots final week.
Darnold spoke on a podcast about soccer groups and training staffs leaving younger passers for lifeless too prematurely, which is what occurred to him as soon as upon a time.
Darnold’s Persistence Argument Now Has a Vikings Angle
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) loosens up earlier than Tremendous Bowl LX in opposition to the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium. On Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, California, Darnold went by pregame drills as Seattle ready for the franchise’s largest stage. The veteran quarterback remained a central focus throughout warmups forward of kickoff. Obligatory Credit score: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Photographs
Darnold: Use Persistence at QB
Darnold spoke to former NFLer Chris Lengthy on the Inexperienced Mild podcast, and he wasn’t shy about unloading his takes on quarterback improvement.
“You get quarterbacks that get drafted really high, and sometimes, I think people are really, really fast to give up on them, especially in this social media kind of culture. I think it’s just kind of the way things are, and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. It’s just kind of the way it is,” Darnold informed Lengthy.
“We live in a time where TikTok is kind of king and YouTube short clips, these 20-minute clips of guys sitting on ‘Get Up’ or ‘First Take’ or whatever it is, and they have an opinion about a young quarterback, and it just goes viral.”
Darnold resides proof of his personal warning. He smashed the narrative in February by serving to the Seattle Seahawks win their second Tremendous Bowl.
“Sometimes that gets back to a young kid or that young quarterback that could affect them later down the line. This is what it is, man, like people are just gonna tell you ‘you suck,’ and that’s going to be the narrative,” he added.
Properly, the Vikings Have an Instance Proper Now
Vikings followers listened to snippets of Darnold’s interview with Lengthy and collectively mentioned, “Hey, is he talking about J.J. McCarthy?”
Minnesota drafted McCarthy in 2024 — with Darnold on the Vikings’ roster — and his profession has not absolutely launched thus far. He tore his meniscus in August 2024, paving the way in which for Darnold’s reclamation story, and solely took over the QB1 job in 2025. Throughout that task, McCarthy suffered three extra accidents, together with a excessive ankle sprain, a concussion, and a damaged hand, stifling his improvement, which was already rocky within the first place. When McCarthy was on the sector, he delivered up-and-down moments, not not like Darnold in 2018 and 2019.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) throws throughout pregame warmups earlier than a preseason matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders at U.S. Financial institution Stadium. On Aug. 10, 2024, in Minneapolis, McCarthy attracted vital consideration from cameras and broadcasters as dialogue surrounding the rookie passer’s progress continued all through the preseason slate. Obligatory Credit score: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Photographs
Due to this fact, if Darnold is right along with his concept on Lengthy’s present, the Vikings have a check in residing shade: Will they keep McCarthy and domesticate him — or ship him someplace, because the New York Jets did to Darnold along with his subsequent chapter in Carolina?
Sportsnaut’s Andrew Buller-Russ famous this week, “Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy are spending hours together behind the scenes. It’s possible the tension has only since heightened, or maybe the two competitors are leaving it all out on the field instead.”
“Of course, there’s always the possibility that McCarthy, or even Murray, requests a trade when the other doesn’t get their way.”
The Baker Mayfield Instance
Mayfield is one other instance. After beginning his profession adeptly in Cleveland, he encountered a shaky marketing campaign in 2021, prompting the Browns to swing an unholy commerce and contract for Deshaun Watson in 2022 and toss Mayfield apart. He bounced round and even performed with Darnold in Carolina.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) surveys the protection from the road of scrimmage throughout third-quarter motion in opposition to the Carolina Panthers at Financial institution of America Stadium. On Dec. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina, Mayfield directed the offense whereas Tampa Bay continued its late-season push in NFC competitors. Obligatory Credit score: Bob Donnan-Imagn Photographs
Quick ahead to 2023, and Mayfield, like Darnold, completely resurrected his profession, signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the place he’s simply a longtime Prime 15 quarterback now.
Here’s a statistical illustration of his Darnold-like reclamation, although he doesn’t have a Tremendous Bowl ring but like his former teammate:
Baker MayfieldEPA+CPOE Rating,Since 2018:
2018-2022: twenty seventh in NFL (of 32)2023-2025: 14th in NFL (of 32)
Mayfield went from potential bust to franchise quarterback after Cleveland gave up too rapidly and Tampa Bay rolled the cube. That’s Darnold’s warning in a nutshell.
Different Upcoming Culprits
So, moreover himself — as a residing, respiratory instance — who’s Darnold referring to along with his feedback? These males are eligible or could also be eligible for reclamation quickly:
Mac Jones (49ers)
Trey Lance (Chargers)
Will Levis (Titans)
J.J. McCarthy (Vikings)
Michael Penix Jr. (Falcons)
Spencer Rattler (Saints)
Anthony Richardson (Colts)
Shedeur Sanders (Browns)
Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins)
Malik Willis (Dolphins)
In fact, not all these males will comply with Darnold’s path; it’s not straightforward. Nonetheless, per his advice, every man ought to get an opportunity at redemption, and NFL followers ought to cease soundbiting younger quarterbacks with “this guy sucks” as a profession verdict. Progress isn’t at all times linear, nor does each crew have the perfect basis for a participant to succeed out of the gate.
Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … Extra about Dustin Baker
