Should Sam Darnold Be Eligible To Win Comeback Player of the Year?

Published on January 6th, 2025 10:09 am EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


Heading into the final week of the NFL regular season, Joe Burrow and Sam Darnold were in a dead-heat to win the league's Comeback Player of the Year award.

Joe Burrow came back from a wrist injury to turn in one of the best single-season performances of his career, as he threw for nearly 5,000 yards, along with 43 touchdowns and just 9 interceptions.

Sam Darnold, on the other hand, completely resurrected his career with the Minnesota Vikings, as he threw for 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Now, this is where the "controversy" over the Comeback Player of the Year award comes in.

The award is meant to be given to a "player who has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season."

Some people (including sportsbooks) felt as though the award should only be given to a player who was coming back from a serious illness or injury.

This is not the case, however, and the Associated Press (their writers vote on the award) clarified that "other circumstances" can include "being drafted by a dysfunctional organization, being traded to another dysfunctional organization or landing with a non-dysfunctional organization as a backup".

In short - Sam Darnold qualifies to win the award.

Geno Smith, for instance, won the award in 2022, despite the fact that he wasn't coming back from a serious injury.

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Some AP NFL voters firmly believe that Sam Darnold should NOT qualify for the Comeback Player of the Year award.

This includes Tone Digs, who stated that sports books are "misleading the people" for Sam Darnold as Comeback Player of the Year. This comment comes despite the clarifications from the Associated Press that Darnold is, in fact, entitled to win the award.

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Should a player who was with a bad organization the previous season be eligible to win Comeback Player of the Year award? Should a player who was a backup quarterback in the previous season be eligible for the award? Or should this award strictly be kept for players who bounce back from a serious injury or illness, like Joe Burrow or Demar Hamlin?