In 2018, a 21-year-old young boy with many dreams walked onto the gridiron with the Jets. In his first NFL game, this rookie scored a touchdown and tasted sweet victory with a 17-0 win against the Falcons. Although it was a preseason game and didn’t matter much, for Sam Darnold, it was his debut and was a special game. The USC alum was still struggling to find his rhythm with the Jets, but they decided to part ways with him. After three years, the Jets traded Sam to the Panthers. Following brief stints with the Panthers and 49ers, the QB found a home with the Vikings. Now, once again, he finds himself in a similar situation, as the Vikings must decide his future with the team.

Back in March, the Vikings signed Sam Darnold to a one-year contract. But now, after the QB has turned things around with his stellar performance, they’re facing a tough decision. As per the Sports Illustrated, Albert Breer, Coach Kevin O’Connell is on board with sticking with his QB. But then they drafted J.J. McCarthy this year. If they place a franchise tag on Sam, it’s going to cost them big. And if they extend his contract, his age becomes a factor, too. ” How in the world do you let Sam Darnold walk? I mean, is there I talked to an executive yesterday that said they’re too smart to let him go,” said Colin Cowherd.

The Vikings originally brought in Sam to compete with rookie J.J. McCarthy for the starting quarterback position. Sadly, McCarthy was sidelined for his rookie season due to a meniscus injury. While the 21-year-old went under the knife, Sam Darnold stepped up as the starting QB. And it seems like it’s been his year. The 27-year-old has put 13 wins on the Vikings’ board. Even though Sam’s been putting up solid numbers, critics are still questioning whether the Vikings should extend his contract.  A lot of people are pushing for J.J. McCarthy to take over next season, mainly because Darnold’s 27, and they think going with a younger QB would make more sense.

While people have their opinions, Coach Kevin O’Connell isn’t buying into any of that logic.

Kevin O’Connell has got Sam Darnold’s back

With people talking about Sam Darnold’s future with the Vikings and sharing their opinions, Head Coach Kevin O’Connell seems to have shown his support for his QB. Since the start of the season, the HC has always had a lot of appreciation for his QB’s performance. There’s no better comeback by any QB this season than Darnold’s. A lot of people wrote him off as a high-draft pick (since he was picked in the first round) disappointment after his time with the Jets, but we all know that with the right mentor, you can achieve great things. And for Sam, that mentor has been Coach Kevin.

“Kevin almost seemed a little indignant about the idea that the other shoe is about to drop,” said Albert Breer. Implying that the Vikings’ head coach is fed up with people saying that things might go wrong with Darnold or that the QB’s success won’t last long, Breer revealed that O’Connell is quite upset with this assumption and seems fully committed to moving forward with Sam as the teams QB. It clearly shows how confident the HC is in his QB, and honestly, he’s got every reason to be. Under his guidance, Darnold has thrown 32 TDs and racked up 3,776 yards, placing him alongside top QBs like Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. The Vikings’ QB stats are even better than the Chiefs’ star Patrick Mahomes.

But you know, in this league, there will always be people going up against you. Whether or not the Vikings stick with Sam for another season (or even longer), we’ll find out soon. For now, we’re just hoping the QB keeps putting up solid numbers and shutting down his haters.