Josh Allen first met Sam Darnold at a college awards dinner in early 2017. Darnold was winning the big award of the evening. Allen was just beginning to attract some attention. Still, Allen was impressed with the way the Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback initially bonded with him. He was even more impressed with Darnold’s parents.
As he told ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques for a story back in 2019, “…they were super down to earth, they were very interested in my story and where I came from.”
The two elite QB prospects continued to grow their friendship while working at Jordan Palmer’s football camp later that year and have remained close ever since. So when the 2024 MVP says, “I’ve got nothing but love and respect for Sammy D, and I’ll be cheering and pulling for him hard,” it isn’t mere lip service.
Bills’ QB says he’s rooting for Sam Darnold in the Super Bowl
Allen’s comments were made on the First Things First show earlier this week. He goes on to say a lot more about his friend’s work ethic and ability to overcome setbacks. When they were both drafted back in the top seven picks of the 2018 draft, it looked as if the friends would be part of a great decade-long rivalry.
They were both taking over struggling teams in the AFC East. The Jets and the Bills had been looking up at Tom Brady’s Patriots forever. The Jets had last won the division title in 2002. For the Bills, it dated back to 1995.
After a rookie year in which both QBs were up and down, their careers began to diverge. Allen got better and better, leading the Bills to the division title in 2020 and claiming his first league MVP award several years later.
Darnold, as all Seahawks fans know by now, flamed out with a dysfunctional Jets franchise and was soon living the life of a journeyman.
That 2018 draft was seen as one of the greatest in history for quarterbacks. Five were chosen in the first round. Three of them – first overall pick Baker Mayfield, Allen, and Lamar Jackson, who went with the final pick in the first round – have now started a combined 28 playoff games.
They have thrown for more than 80,000 yards and rushed for nearly 13,000 more. That’s more than 50 miles of yards in NFL games since 2018.
They have combined – running and throwing – for 729 touchdowns. They have claimed three of the last six league MVPs.
But here’s something none of them has done. They have not taken their team to the Super Bowl. Not until Sam Darnold steps onto the field this Sunday.
Back in 2018, there was plenty of debate as to which QB would have the best career. Most analysts thought Darnold was set up for long-term success better than the others. But Mayfield flew up the draft boards in the run-up to selection day. He impressed coaches and GMs with his attitude, his moxie, and his smarts. Though he has been up and down, Mayfield has largely lived up to his scouting reports.
Allen and Jackson were both seen as high-ceiling players who needed to iron out some flaws. Three MVPs suggest both have done so.
Josh Rosen, who went number 10 to Arizona, was the bust. There’s always a bust. Usually, there are several. I’m looking at you, 2021.
For a long time, it looked as if Sam Darnold was the second bust. From the third overall pick to the bench in less than five seasons. But hearing his old friend talk about him this week, you get the feeling that those close to him knew Sam Darnold was not finished.
“That’s my boy,” Allen said. “He’s been at a few stops and obviously got his opportunity last year in Minnesota … now he’s playing in the Super Bowl… He’s worked extremely hard for it.”
Back when they were early in their college careers, Allen was the one looking up at Darnold, trying to match what the USC star was doing. In the NFL, those roles flipped. But now, Darnold has once again risen, giving Allen a target to shoot for. But the rivalry remains a friendly one.
“I’m rooting for my man there, who wears No. 14 for the Seattle Seahawks.”