Rich Eisen Floats Mac Jones as the NFL's Next "Sam Darnold" — And It's Not Crazy
Sam Darnold just pulled off one of the greatest quarterback resets in recent NFL history.
From journeyman castoff… to Super Bowl champion.
Now, Rich Eisen believes he knows who could be next.
And it's a familiar name in New England.
Mac Jones.
🎙️ "Most Likely Candidate"
On The Rich Eisen Show, Eisen didn't hesitate.
"Mac Jones, in my estimation, is the most likely candidate to be the next Sam Darnold of anybody else."
That's a bold statement — but not an illogical one.
Like Darnold, Jones:
- Was a first-round pick
- Showed early promise
- Struggled amid coaching instability
- Was discarded by his original team
Sound familiar?
📈 The Forgotten Rookie Year
People forget how solid Jones looked in 2021.
Under Bill Belichick, he:
- Led the Patriots to the playoffs
- Earned Pro Bowl recognition
- Looked poised beyond his years
Then everything unraveled.
Coordinator chaos.
Offensive regression.
Confidence shaken.
By 2023, New England had moved on — drafting Drake Maye and officially turning the page.
🔄 The Shanahan System Reset
Here's where the comparison gets interesting.
Darnold's career revival started in San Francisco under Kyle Shanahan before he got another starting shot in Minnesota.
Mac Jones just spent 2025 in that same ecosystem.
And when Brock Purdy went down, Jones stepped in.
- 97.4 QB rating
- 5 wins in 8 starts
- Kept the 49ers in playoff position
That's not garbage-time production.
That's meaningful football.
Eisen's bigger question?
Why would San Francisco let him go after that?
"He's actually in the Shanahan system that everybody credits for Sam Darnold's reset."
Exactly.
🧠 The Darnold Blueprint
Darnold's revival wasn't magic.
It was:
- Stability
- Coaching clarity
- System fit
- Talent around him
Jones just showed he can function — even thrive — in the right structure.
At 27, he's not washed.
He's not broken.
He's not inexperienced.
He might just be… recalibrated.
👀 What Happens Next?
Quarterback-needy teams will notice.
The league just watched Darnold flip the narrative entirely.
If there's another former first-rounder sitting in the right system, showing signs of composure and efficiency?
He's going to get a shot.
Mac Jones may never become elite.
But neither was Darnold — until he was.