Where did Sam Darnold rank among starting quarterbacks in 2024?
The NFL offseason is upon us. On Sunday, fans nationwide had to adjust to not having football on their televisions. But that doesn't mean we have to stop talking about football.
Nick Shook of NFL.com released his season-ending rankings of all 59 starting quarterbacks from 2024. The usual suspects were near the top, with Lamar Jackson finishing 1st, Josh Allen 2nd, and Joe Burrow 3rd. Patrick Mahomes was 7th after a weird year, and Super Bowl LIX MVP Jalen Hurts finished 9th.
After leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 record, Sam Darnold landed at No. 13, finishing one spot behind Geno Smith. Darnold stunned the NFL when he passed for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns. Unfortunately, his two worst games of the season came in the Vikings' final two games, ending with a 27-9 Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Shook referenced how the final two games affect Darnold's upcoming contract in 2025.
….[Darnold's] production through the majority of the year led many to believe he'd be in line for a big payday this offseason — but then a nightmarish final two weeks ended those dreams, and the Vikings' season. Darnold was at the center of Minnesota's meltdown, flopping in both Week 18 and their wild-card loss to the Rams, potentially costing himself millions of dollars in the process. That doesn't diminish all the good Darnold did in 2024, but it does call into question his value on the open market ahead of free agency.
Had Darnold performed at an average level in Week 18 and the playoffs, he'd likely have been in the top 10 of this ranking. The Vikings may have even advanced or had the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
But he still outperformed expectations throughout the season. It was Darnold's highest finish in these rankings, as his previous best was finishing No. 24 after the 2018 season.
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