![Sam Darnold [Left]; Patrick Mahomes [Center]; Shannon Sharpe [Right]](https://cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com/2025/01/c7995b11-untitled-design-302.jpg?format=auto&w=3840&q=75)
Sam Darnold’s comeback this season has been remarkable. After failing with the New York Jets and the Carolina Panthers, many had written the QB off. But with the Minnesota Vikings, he has scored 35 TDs and passed for 4,153 yards, powering the franchise into the playoffs. The turnaround has made many wonder why Darnold couldn’t do the same earlier. Shannon Sharpe has the answer: he is not a player of the caliber of Patrick Mahomes, who could elevate the players around him.
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The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback can work with lower-tier players, be it receivers, running backs, or tight ends, and make it work. Sam can’t, said Sharpe on Nightcap.
“If you go out and sign a Sam Darnold, look at what you have. Do you have the roster that’s equipped to help continue to elevate him? Because if you don’t, he’s not (Patrick) Mahomes, he’s not (Joe) Burrow, he’s not Lamar (Jackson), he’s not Josh Allen… that’s not what he is and I’m not going to sit here and tell you because he’s having an outstanding year. I give credit where credit is due, but I don’t look at him as a guy that’s a multiplier,” explained Sharpe.
For Sharpe, Sam falls into the category of quarterbacks who need strong teammates to elevate them. With the Vikings, Darnold found an incredible offensive cohort in Aaron Jones, TJ Hockenson and Justin Jefferson among others. He never had that in New York and Carolina.
Shannon cited a similar example in Tampa Bay with Baker Mayfield, who has been balling out as a Buccaneer. Even he could not make an impact with the Panthers earlier.
Sharpe’s take about Darnold not being a top-tier QB has validity. However, the numbers he has put up this season points at the opposite direction. He has had an MVP-level season.
Darnold is only the third NFL QB to reach 3,500 passing yards, 29 TDs, and a 100+ passer rating in the first 14 games. For these stats alone, he deserves a spot in the NFL MVP race.
The QB has been the decisive factor in the change we see in the Vikings of this season, compared to the previous campaign. The 2023-24 season saw them finish 7-10. While this season, driven by Darnold, they are already 14-2 with a game in hand.
