With Super Bowl 60 between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots just a few days away, one of the best stories this season has been the continued rise of quarterback Sam Darnold.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson was able to witness Darnold’s resurgence last season. However, he revealed his honest opinion on the quarterback taking the Seahawks to the Super Bowl just a year removed from his Vikings tenure.
From Written Off to Super Bowl QB, Sam Darnold Earns Praise From Justin Jefferson
Earlier, Jefferson appeared on the Fox program “First Things First” and discussed Darnold. In the interview, he had the following to say:
“I’m not overly surprised that he had another great year, but I’m definitely surprised that he made it to the Super Bowl, and I’m happy for him that he made it to the Super Bowl because I feel like he put in the work. He really understood how to play this game… I feel like he was just cool, calm, collected, and poised the entire year and allowed his play to speak for himself… As long as Sam holds the ball in his hands with no turnovers, then Sam’s going to win a majority of those games.”
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Last season, Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 regular season record and ranked 15th overall in PFSN’s NFL Quarterback Impact Metric (QBi) with an impact score of 77.6 and letter grade of C+. In 2024, Darnold completed 66.2% of passes for 4319 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also added 212 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
Jefferson benefited greatly from Darnold and had one of the best seasons of his career. In 2024, he ranked seventh in PFSN’s NFL Wide Receiver Impact Metric with an impact score of 87.6 and a letter grade of B+. Jefferson caught a total of 103 passes for 1533 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
In 2025, Darnold kept playing at a strong pace, this time with the Seahawks after signing a three-year, $100.5 million contract. Darnold finished the regular season with a completion percentage of 67.7%, 4048 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. In PFSN’s QBi, he finished ranked 13th among quarterbacks, with an impact score of 78.7 and a letter grade of C+.
Only a few years ago, it looked like Darnold’s career was over. After being selected with the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, Darnold never reached his potential. After stints with the Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, and the Vikings, Darnold will look to hoist the Lombardi trophy with the Seahawks this Sunday over the Patriots.
