Big Blue View
The New York Giants are in desperate need of a quarterback. It may behoove general manager Joe Schoen to take multiple kicks at the can to rectify this persistent issue that’s plagued the Giants for the better half of a decade.
Former New York Jets’ castaway Sam Darnold is arguably the most desirable free-agent quarterback. Darnold had a career year, throwing for 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with a Big Time Throw Rate of 5.6%. The 27-year-old added 212 yards on the ground with one rushing touchdown and eight fumbles.
Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record, and conversations about extending Darnold’s longevity with the franchise started to percolate the airwaves in Minnesota; this was especially profound because the Vikings spent their first-round selection on Michigan quarterbackJ.J. McCarthy, but the rookie tore his meniscus in the preseason and missed the season.
However, ghosts from Darnold’s past appeared in his final — and most important — two games of the season. The Vikings had a chance to earn the number-one seed in their Week 18 games against Detroit; the winner took the one seed, and the loser lost home-field advantage and assumed the fifth seed.
Darnold was pressured 33 times by Detroit and looked rattled for most of the game. He finished with just 166 yards passing. He finished with a season-low 4 yards per pass attempt. The Lions beat Minnesota, 31-9.
He threw for 245 passing yards in the Vikings' 27-9 Wildcard loss against the Los Angeles Rams. Again, he looked uncomfortable as the Rams’ potent young pass rush pressured him 43 times.
His two final performances may have cost him millions of dollars. This could work to the advantage of the New York Giants, who should not break the bank for a player like Darnold. I like Darnold. He has talent and the raw physical traits to be successful. He proved that with Kevin O’Connell, Justin Jefferson, and Jordan Addison in 2024, but there’s not a consistent enough track record to pay Darnold $55-plus million a year.
However, with the Vikings' untimely demise — which many lay at the feet of Darnold — he’ll likely be available at a much more discounted rate. Let’s review some of Darnold’s tape to showcase his potential and the throws in his repertoire.
This third-and-8 conversion against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2 highlights two elite traits that Darnold does showcase, albeit it’s not always consistent: anticipation and ball placement.
The still image shows Darnold start to throw as Jalen Nailor (83) reaches the 45-yard line — the catch was made at the 30-yard line. Darnold does an excellent job processing this defense and understanding Nailor’s relationship to the coverage.
It’s a smash/seam to the field side against a Cover-2 defense, with Trent Sherfield Sr. (11) running the fast three-motion as the corner route, which pulled Isaac Yiadom (22) toward the field side. Yiadom flips his hips inward, giving Nailor more space up...
