Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2024 NFL season thus far.

Darnold took over the starting job in Minnesota when rookie JJ McCarthy tore his meniscus in a preseason victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

But the journeyman veteran has been lights out, completing a career-high 63.5 percent of his passes for 1,111 yards, 11 touchdowns and just four interceptions to help the Vikes start the season 5-0.

That's led fans to suggest that he might well be the early leader in the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year race after spending the last two seasons primarily as a backup in Carolina and San Francisco.

Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press, which hands out the award, tweeted that the "AP issued guidance to voters before the season, instructing them that 'the spirit of the award is to honor 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.' If he keeps playing at this level, Darnold could end up with another award: Most Valuable Player."

Most fans believe that clarification came after Joe Flacco beat out Damar Hamlin for the award in 2023. Flacco returned from semi-retirement to lead the Browns to the playoffs, while Hamlin returned from suffering a sudden cardiac arrest on the field the year prior.

But Hamlin's role in Buffalo was severely reduced in 2023 from what it was in 2022 and what it is now in 2024.

Darnold could still win the award. Voters are allowed to vote for whoever the choose. The new guidelines just tend to point them in a different direction.

And as Maaddi pointed out, Darnold is currently on track to compete for the NFL MVP. Which he'd almost surely rather have than the Comeback Player of the Year Award.