Why Vikings QB Sam Darnold is ineligible for one major award

Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Why Vikings QB Sam Darnold is ineligible for one major NFL award

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated Oct 11, 2024 2:43 PM ET

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is widely considered to be an MVP candidate entering Week 6 of the 2024 NFL season.

With plenty of other worthy contenders for the hardware, though, he might seem more likely to earn the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award.

As AP Senior NFL writer Rob Maaddi and NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reminded fans on Friday, though, Darnold actually won't be eligible for the latter honor, with Maaddi writing that the eventual winner needs to have "demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season."

There had been some confusion in recent years about what constitutes a “comeback,” so the @AP clarified this offseason with the guidance @RobMaaddi provides below. So Sam Darnold, considered the favorite by many right now, doesn’t actually fit the new criteria. https://t.co/eLoBSnLBPa
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 11, 2024

The former No. 3 overall pick is playing the best football of his career, as he enters Week 6 tied for second in the NFL in touchdown passes (11), fifth in yards per pass attempt (8.1) and sixth in passer rating (103.4).

This comes after Darnold spent one season with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023, playing 10 games but only making one start behind QB1 Brock Purdy. Prior to this season, he had largely been considered a first-round draft bust, going 21-35 across his first 66 career games (56 starts) over six campaigns. Through his three years with the New York Jets, two with the Carolina Panthers and one in the Bay Area, Darnold had an ugly 63:56 touchdown to interception ratio coming into the season.

Along with his impressive passing stats through five contests this fall, his Vikings (5-0) are also one of only two undefeated teams left in the league (Kansas City Chiefs, 5-0).

Prior to the AP's clarification on the Comeback Player of the Year criteria this offseason, Darnold would have likely been considered a heavy favorite for the title. However, with last winter's controversial choice of quarterback Joe Flacco over Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin for the hardware, the AP made the change in June.

Fellow signal-callers Jayden Daniels, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes are among the numerous other midseason MVP candidates. Darnold will need to keep up his pace in order to become what would be one of the most stunning MVP award winners in NFL history.

Victor Barbosa

Victor Barbosa is a passionate follower of MLB, the NBA and NFL, with a deep interest in Boston-area teams. He graduated from Springfield College -- The Birthplace of Basketball -- in 2013 with a degree in Communications-Sports Journalism. Previous bylines include FanSided, Heavy and Syracuse

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