Sam Darnold: The Jets didn't fail me, I had a lot of opportunities

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is playing like the MVP candidate the Jets hoped he would be one day when they drafted him with the third overall pick in 2018. Which made some people think that Darnold was always a future star, given the chance to be signed by a bad organization that drafted him who wasn't.

Darnold doesn't see it that way. Asked if the Jets failed him, Darnold replied, “No.”

“I had a lot of opportunities in New York and I always felt like I could have played better there,” Darnold continued.

This year Darnold leads the NFL with 11 touchdown passes and a 118.9 passer rating and is the biggest reason the Vikings are 4-0. But to be fair to the Jets, they gave him three full seasons to develop and he never got better. In fact, his third and final season with the Jets was his worst. He was also mediocre in his two seasons with the Panthers and in his one start last year with the 49ers. Darnold has been given plenty of opportunities in his NFL career. The opportunity the Vikings gave him could have been his last if he failed, but instead he made the most of it.

On Sunday in London, Darnold faces the Jets, and he may leave some Jets fans wishing their team had given him a better chance to develop. Even if Darnold says they gave him plenty of opportunities.