Vikings QB Sam Darnold addresses whether he was failed by Jets

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is not only playing the best football of his career, but some of the best football in the NFL.

Through four weeks, the 27-year-old has thrown for 932 yards, a league-leading 11 touchdowns and only three interceptions while leading the Vikings to a 4-0 record.

Some could even argue he's been playing like an MVP candidate. That's what the New York Jets were hoping to get out of Darnold when they drafted him with the No. 3 overall pick in 2018. 

So what went wrong?

That remains up for debate, but some would say that he always had the talent to be successful in the NFL, he just never got the chance to develop correctly in a bad organization.

Darnold denies those ideas, though.

When asked whether the Jets failed him, he simply answered, "No."

"I had a lot of opportunities in New York and I always felt like I could have played better there," Darnold said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

Darnold isn't wrong. He had three seasons (2018-20) to prove himself in New York before being traded to the Carolina Panthers. During that span he went 13-25 as a starter while throwing for 8,097 yards, 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions.

Things didn't get any better with the Panthers, either. From 2021-22, Darnold went 8-10 while throwing for 3,670 yards, 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

However, there is one commonality between those two stints: A lack of playmakers. That is something he is rich with in Minnesota.

The Vikings boast an impressive group of playmakers, highlighted by All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson, rising second-year wide receiver Jordan Addison and Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones. Two-time Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson is expected to return from injured reserve sooner rather than later, too.

So Darnold's recipe for success could simply be joining a team with a successful offensive-minded head coach in Kevin O'Connell and an abundance of weapons.

There doesn't seem to be an animosity between Darnold and the Jets, but he'll get the chance to leave them wishing they did more to develop him in Week 5 when the teams go head-to-head in London.