Sam Darnold's redemption has been one of the most talked about stories of the NFL season. It appears even the commissioner himself has enjoyed Darnold's early success.
Speaking on NFL Network's Good Morning Football on Tuesday, Roger Goodell noted that Darnold's success is "what makes our game so much fun."
"To see kids that maybe don't have a good start at one team — think he's now on his fourth team, I believe — to see him get in the right system, and I really give a lot of credit to [Kevin O'Connell] and the GM [Kwesi Adofo-Mensah]," said Goodell. "To get the right kind of guy to fit their system, he's getting the most out of him. He's got great teammates, it's always great to throw to [Justin Jefferson]."
The Vikings quarterback leads the league with 11 touchdown passes while throwing just three interceptions. Darnold came to the Vikings this offseason after backing up Brock Purdy in San Francisco in 2023. Before that, he had five up-and-down (mostly down) seasons between the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.
Darnold will take his undefeated Vikings to London to play the Jets this Sunday, offering the opportunity for the ultimate revenge game against the team that drafted him No. 3 overall in 2018. New York traded Darnold to Carolina after just three seasons for a trio of picks.
"You gotta give him credit," Goodell continued. "His determination to get back in there and say 'I can do this.' When you see someone try to overcome that and try to build on the failures he may have had, that's just something you take your hat off to."
