Video: Bill Belichick Says Sam Darnold's Teams Have All Liked QB 'Except the Jets'

Former NFL head coach Bill Belichick appeared on The Pat McAfee Show Monday and said that Sam Darnold—who has led the Minnesota Vikings to a surprising 3-0 start this season—has plenty of fans within the organizations he's played for in the past.

Well, except for the one that drafted him, the New York Jets.

"I'll say this, everybody has liked Darnold except the Jets. The people in Carolina that I talked to, they really liked him. ... I know that Kevin O'Connell and some of the coaches in Minnesota, they really like this guy too. So it seems like the only people who didn't like Darnold were at the Jets."

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was also effusive in his praise of Darnold ahead of the 2023 season. The veteran quarterback spent one year with the team, and it may have helped revitalize his career after it got off to such a rocky start.

The 27-year-old struggled in his three seasons in New York (2018-20), throwing 45 touchdowns to 37 interceptions in 38 starts while completing just 59.8 percent of his passes. The Jets went just 13-25 in those games.

In New York's defense, Darnold didn't fare much better in two seasons in Carolina (2021-22), throwing for 16 touchdowns to 16 interceptions while completing 59.5 percent of his passes and going 8-9 as the starter.

But he seems to have found a home in Minnesota, throwing for 657 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions thus far this season, completing an impressive 67.9 percent of his passes. He looks like a new player altogether and certainly has grown from his ill-fated tenure with the Jets.