Throwing for 4,000 yards in a season has become somewhat of a standard benchmark for “good” quarterback play in the NFL. Since 2020, at least nine quarterbacks have reached that mark in every season, with 12 quarterbacks surpassing 4,000 yards last season.
New Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold was not one of those quarterbacks in either instance. In fact, Darnold has never come close to reaching the 4,000-yard mark in a season, with his career-best total coming as a member of the New York Jets in his second season. That year was Darnold’s best as a professional. He set career highs in every major statistical category, including throwing for 3,024 yards and 19 touchdowns.
That season, Darnold was throwing passes to the likes of Jamison Crowder and Robbie Chosen (then Robbie Anderson) and did so with head coach Adam Gase running the Jets offense. Suffice it to say that Darnold has some significantly better circumstances coming into this season.
Those improved circumstances have Pro Football Network analyst Mike Wobschall predicting a career year for the new Vikings starting quarterback.
Darnold has had some famous struggles during his career and is widely considered a draft bust after being chosen third overall by the Jets in the 2018 NFL Draft. However, he’s now stepping into a role as a veteran quarterback with arguably the league’s best wide receiver in Justin Jefferson, one of the best receiving running backs in the league in Aaron Jones, and a head coach, Kevin O’Connell, who got the most out of journeyman quarterbacks Josh Dobbs and Nick Mullens last season.
O’Connell’s system and coaching are very quarterback-friendly, and the supporting cast around Darnold is easily the best of his career. If Darnold is able to stay healthy for the entire season, and his flaws are kept mostly in check, Darnold should be able to comfortably reach this milestone.