Sam Darnold opens up about his failures as a member of the Jets

Six years ago, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold was in the middle of his rookie season with the New York Jets. Earlier that year, the Jets used the third overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft on Darnold with the hope that he would develop into the franchise's long-term solution at quarterback.

That didn't happen, and New York wound up moving on from Darnold after just three seasons. This weekend, the veteran signal-caller and the Vikings are taking on the Jets in London, England, and on Wednesday, he shared whether or not his former team failed him in any way during his tenure there.

"No, I had a lot of opportunities in New York and I always felt like I could have played better there."

Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold honored by NFL before game against New York Jets

Darnold's comments came during his weekly meeting with the local Twin Cities reporters, and earlier in the conversation, he mentioned how going up against his former team on Sunday isn't really something that's on his mind.

"I'm not really thinking about that, to be honest. [There's] a lot of new faces over there. Still know a few players over there, but I'm sure before the game, maybe after the game, [I'll see] some of the people that I've built really good relationships with."

Whoever he talks with before or after Sunday's matchup, some of them will likely be congratulating him for being named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for his performance during September. The league announced the honor for Darnold on Thursday, which is the first Player of the Month award he has received in his pro career.

This has already been mentioned multiple times during Darnold's first season with Minnesota, but everyone's path to success in the NFL is different. It took a little longer than expected, but the former top-five draft pick is finally living up to his potential now that he's got Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell leading him in the right direction.

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