Surprising Vikings newcomer getting some early awards buzz

The NFL Comeback Player of the Year award is always a tricky proposition. It has been around for quite a while now, but we often struggle to come to grips over what the award stands for, and who it should go to each season. Every year, it either goes to a player who has overcome a devastating injury upon returning to greatness, or to a player who goes from being mid to borderline exceptional.

Honestly, it feels so much better to give it to players like Joe Burrow and Alex Smith who ball out after suffering major injuries. Then again, we don't always have the best candidate for that. The ageless Joe Flacco brought home the honor last year, despite Damar Hamlin actually being able to play football again. It is why Sam Darnold supposedly being up for it this year is not without controversy, according to DraftKings odds.

Darnold was every bit the blue-chipper coming out of USC. He was the former No. 3 overall pick by the New York Jets back in 2018. Seven years later, he is on his fourth NFL team with one last shot at redemption. He has been given the keys to the car in Minneapolis as the Minnesota Vikings' starting quarterback entering this season. While Darnold could win the honor, I sincerely doubt that he will.

I would much rather give it to a player like a Daniel Jones this season than to a player like Darnold.

Sam Darnold is a candidate to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year

While Darnold being able to turn his career around and actually save it would be wonderful, I envision one of two things happening for him. He may play inherently reckless football like he so often does, resulting in J.J. McCarthy being forced into action far sooner than head coach Kevin O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would have ever hoped for. There is also a chance he is good.

In that case, the Vikings will have inadvertently created a quarterback controversy on their hands. Darnold could go on to win the award as a high-end stop-gap for the Vikings, albeit a one-year rental. If that is the case, then we may begin to question why the Vikings traded up to draft a project quarterback in McCarthy. Yes, it was only one spot, but we underestimated how raw he really was.

Ultimately, there needs to be another award created for guys like Darnold who could potentially reclaim their careers. Comeback Player of the Year should be celebrated annually for guys who overcame major physical obstacles to return to prominence. Comeback is not a fair label for guys like Darnold, who are only coming back from being bad. Surely, we can put far better spin on that, right?

Honestly, why not call it the Rich Gannon Award, which goes to players who persevered the best?