A former third-overall pick, with no shortage of adversity has stayed calm and waited his turn for a late-year playoff run
Sam Darnold was once regarded as a bust. Exiled from the Gotham Green in New York, Darnold was traded from the Jets to the Panthers in the 2021 offseason for a slew of draft picks including a 2021 6th and 2022 2nd and 4th round picks. The USC product throughout the 2021 season in Charlotte struggled to impress and felt like more of a former shell of himself from an already tarnished reputation in East Rutherford.
In 2021 the quarterback played in 12 games, starting 11 and posting a record of 4-7. Underwhelming for the third overall pick. Statistically, the numbers don’t get any better. Darnold threw for 2,208 yards with 9 touchdowns. Pair that with 12 interceptions to go along with it, and the stat line just ends up going downhill.
It’s hard not to be called names when you have a quarterback rating of 33.2. While Darnold himself hasn’t been in the best situation over the past two years, going through two head coaches with Matt Rhule and Steve Wilks. Traded away was his number two receiver Robby Anderson to the Cardinals leaving DJ Moore to be his only bastion of stability.
Due to the aforementioned trials and tribulations, it compelled the Panthers front office to vie for former number one overall pick and former Heisman trophy winner Baker Mayfield from Cleveland. While it wasn’t the blockbuster deal the NFL world had wanted, it was everything but a sign of the times for Darnold. Mayfield had been a reliable starter for the Browns, but a sharp turnaround with the signing of Deshaun Watson meant Mayfield was now Carolina’s way out. A plea for upward mobility for the club ever since the departure of Cam Newton.
However, Baker’s time in Carolina didn’t last long, recording no wins during his 2022 campaign and being shipped off to Los Angeles where in three games the quarterback has had a form of a career renaissance. While Carolina might’ve not been the ideal system for Mayfield, Darnold has also seen a revival in his own right.
In 4 games as the Panthers’ starter, Darnold is 3-1, beating impressive teams across the quad-game stretch. With a Panthers team that has been in shoddy shape, with a quarterback and coaching carousel even brandishing the name of XFL star PJ Walker for a couple games, Darnold has found refuge through what he calls ‘patience’.
Even with Carolina’s loss to Tampa Bay, eliminating themselves from playoff contention, Darnold still played lights out completing 23-for-37 passes and 341 yards. In a touchdown pass early in the game to tight end Tommy Tremble, Darnold stuck in the pocket, not flustered, yet threw a perfect pass to his receiver to put Carolina up 7-0.
The fact that a rebuilding Panthers team was in a win & in situation against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers is a testament to Sam Darnold’s quarterback play. In a second quarter pass, Darnold launched a gorgeous rainbow to DJ Moore for another touchdown, a throw Jets fans wish they saw in his time in New York.
Over the years, Darnold has been up and down, yet no one has more faith in him than his past teammates, “He’s one of the best human beings I’ve come across in the NFL,” former teammate Mike White stated. White also spoke, “I’m always and forever rooting for his success, so seeing him do [this], it’s a lot of fun.”
With a fledgling team, Darnold has made the best of a rocky situation. A high ankle sprain suffered in the last preseason game paved way for Baker Mayfield and PJ Walker to get meaningful playing time throughout the season. Yet, even as Darnold watched his teammates get all the glory for wins, Darnold stayed disciplined to his mantra– patience.
When Darnold was named the starter for a Week 12 matchup versus the Denver Broncos, he took all his lessons and put it on the field, a proving ground for the collection of the fables he’s acquired over the years.
23-10 in a slugfest may not sound like the ideal win for a quarterback.
But in the NFL, a win is a win, especially for a signal caller who has struggled to get his feet under him. 11/19 with one touchdown may just be the spark he needed.
With Sam Darnold on a ‘prove-it’ year of his contract, paired with the fact that he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2023, these final games could punch Darnold’s ticket to his next job or let him stay with the Panthers in order to prepare for a year where the Carolina Panthers might be a team to reckon with.
