Vikings QB Sam Darnold ‘not really thinking’ about Jets tenure ahead of Sunday’s matchup

Sam Darnold leads the NFL with 11 touchdown passes in four starts. He has the undefeated Vikings atop the league standings. His name is being tossed around by oddsmakers as an early candidate for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award behind perennial favorites like the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Bills’ Josh Allen.

So, surely, he’s traveling to London on Thursday afternoon, when the Vikings depart for an overnight flight, with his chest out and head held high.

He must be itching to get back at Sunday’s opponent, the New York Jets, who drafted him No. 3 overall and traded away after three forgettable seasons, right?

“I’m not really thinking about that to be honest,” Darnold said Wednesday. “A lot of new faces over there. Still know a few players over there, but I’m sure maybe before the game or after the game, seeing some of the people that I’ve built really good relationships ― that’s always the fun part.”

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Both the Jets (2-2) and Darnold with the Vikings (4-0) have moved far beyond their time together from 2018 to 2020. Darnold was there in the middle of a tumultuous time for the Jets; in 2019, they fired head coach Todd Bowles and General Manager Mike Maccagnan, who had just drafted Darnold the year before.

Darnold went 13-25 as the Jets starter, with 50 touchdowns and 46 turnovers. His leading receivers were Robbie Chosen in 2018 and Jamison Crowder in 2019 and 2020. The Jets defense didn’t offer much help. Neither did a below-average running game.

Did the Jets fail you, Sam?

“Um, no,” Darnold said. “I think I had a lot of opportunities in New York, and I always felt like I could’ve played better there.”

Since arriving to the Vikings on a one-year, $10 million deal in March, Darnold has had little interest in looking back at his time with the Jets or the Panthers, where he made 55 of his 56 NFL starts before coming to Minnesota. He’s already beaten the Jets during his first game with the Panthers in 2021.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has also urged others to look forward with Darnold, whom he says has played up to the expectations O’Connell has always had for him.

But does O’Connell feel the need to talk to Darnold about emotions this week?

“No, no I don’t,” O’Connell said. “What Sam’s done such a great job of is focusing on doing his job, leading our offense, totally diving into the game plan and how he’s going to positively run the show like he has. Been so happy with Sam, and I think he’s going to focus on doing his job against a really talented defense regardless of who the opponent is.”

Linebacker Blake Cashman, an Eden Prairie and Gophers product, knows better than most what Darnold went through in New York. Cashman, a 2019 fifth-round pick by the Jets, arrived a year after Darnold and spent two seasons with him. He called those years “tough times.”

Cashman is now the leading tackler for this fourth-ranked Vikings scoring defense. He continued to stump for Darnold, saying “we have a lot of confidence in our quarterback,” in part because of the work Cashman has done singing his praises.

“I always knew Sam was this,” Cashman said. “Maybe that’s easy to say, because he’s doing so well right now. I feel like ever since Sam signed here, I’ve been like his cheerleader, telling whether it be the media, my teammates, fans — this is a perfect situation for Sam; Sam is going to ball out. And he hasn’t disappointed. He’s going to continue to lead this team and play well.”

There aren’t many Jets players left from Darnold’s days, namely just defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and long snapper Thomas Hennessey, the Jets’ longest-tenured player in his eighth season with the team.

Darnold’s focus on the week ahead goes as far as directing away a question about Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whom Darnold said he’s spoken with a “couple times” and is a “great guy.”

“I technically am going against Aaron Rodgers,” Darnold said, “but I’m going against the Jets defense, and I’m excited about that as well.”

So what does Darnold see in a Jets defense that’s allowing just 256 yards (2nd) and 15.5 points (5th) per game?

“They fly around,” Darnold said. “They know their scheme inside and out, and they allow their guys to go out and play fast and physical. I feel they disguise really well, whether it’s disguising pressures or coverages, you can tell they’re really well coached and smart.”

Darnold has the Vikings playing pretty well, too. Now he has a chance to show his former team.

“We’ve been playing solid football,” Darnold said. “I do feel like there’s a lot of room to grow and to continue to get better just with operation stuff, eliminating the pre-snap penalties will be huge for us. … It’s obviously good to win football games, but we’re just going to continue to take it one step at a time.”

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