Sam Darnold has seen firsthand what makes two of the NFL’s elite receivers tick, and he says the blueprint for Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Justin Jefferson is identical. Despite a change in teams, the QB revealed that both of them shared some traits that felt exactly the same.

“The way that he [Jaon Smith-Njibga] moves around and the way that he gets in and out of cuts,” said Sam Darnold on The Herd with Colin Cowherd podcast. “He doesn’t cut the way I feel like you teach a receiver. He’s very kind of rounded off, but he doesn’t lose speed in and out of cuts. I think that’s one of his specialties, and that’s something as well that I kind of got to witness firsthand with Justin Jefferson. There’s a lot of similarities there with the way that they run routes.”

Smith-Njigba has been one of the Seahawks’ best offensive players. He not only earned his first All-Pro selection but also made the Pro Bowl and was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He recorded 119 receptions for 1,793 receiving yards (most in the league) and scored 10 touchdowns.

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Besides the specialties, his method of running routes also made the star quarterback remember Justin Jefferson for some traits that were exactly the same. The wideout’s first touchdown against the Tennessee Titans saw him receive the ball, slow down a bit, and then blast off, leaving the defense behind, and backpedal to a touchdown.

It was similar to Jefferson’s run against the San Francisco 49ers in 2024, where he amassed almost half of his 133 yards from the game in one score. Upon receiving the ball, two players (27 and 30) started to chase him. But the wide receiver stuttered in between his run, and he changed his route. Ultimately, Jefferson went on to slow down before scoring the first touchdown of the game, just like Njigba.

The similarities did not go unseen by Darnold. Perhaps due to these similarities, playing with Jefferson made him comfortable with Smith-Njigba, helping him read his routes better. Moreover, they also won the Super Bowl this year. In the same conversation, Darnold also revealed that he has no hard feelings for the Vikings.

Sam Darnold is not angry with the Vikings prioritizing J.J. McCarthy over him

During the 2024 season, Sam Darnold was the starting quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings, but only after rookie J.J. McCarthy had a season-ending injury.

Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 finish, earning them a spot in the playoffs. Despite the performance, head coach Kevin O’Connell decided to put his faith in McCarthy over Darnold. Reflecting on the situation, the Super Bowl winner said that he fully understood why the Vikings went with McCarthy.

“I understand their thought process of going with the younger kid,” said Sam Darnold. “There’s a lot of potential there, and I think J.J. is going to be a really, really good player in this league… That was a little bit of a tough pill to swallow, but when I really stood back and looked at it from afar, I really understood the decision, and I’m thankful that I landed in Seattle.”

Darnold would be 28 when the 2025 season kicked off. So, rather than going for someone who is approaching 30, the franchise went with McCarthy, who was a lot younger. Moreover, Darnold’s contract was also expiring.

Unfortunately, it did not go as the Vikings had planned. The young quarterback missed almost half of the games due to injury, playing only ten games. He recorded six wins, with a less than 60% pass completion rate, and more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11).

Even Jefferson indirectly pointed fingers at him for his lower metrics. On the other hand, Darnold continued his form, winning 14 games again. By the end of the regular season, he had 25 touchdown passes, 4,048 passing yards, and 99.1 passer rating to his name.

Coming back from back-to-back 14-3 seasons and a Super Bowl, it remains to be seen how he fares in 2026, especially since the expectations will be higher this time.