Sam Darnold definitely did not follow the typical career path for an elite quarterback who just led his team to the number one seed and NFC championship game. Taken third overall in the 2018 NFL draft, Darnold had high expectations to lead the New York Jets back to the glory days of the Mark Sanchez era. Unfortunately for everyone involved, it just never panned out for Darnold or the Jets in his three years with the team. Luckily for him, though, this would set in motion a chain of events that would change the course of his career and the NFL forever.
Unlike most QBs that had the level of success, or lack thereof, Darnold was able to win the starting position for the Carolina Panthers in 2021. This experiment went about as expected, as in fairness to Darnold, the entire team was a mess this season. Throwing for a measly nine touchdowns and thirteen interceptions, he ended up getting benched for Cam Newton mid-way through the season.
If it was any consolation, Newton and eventually P.J. Walker both played as badly, if not worse than Darnold, the rest of the season. This likely played a role in being kept around the following season. He backed up Baker Mayfield and P.J. Walker to start the season. But after Baker’s poor play to begin the season and Walker suffering an ankle injury in week ten, Darnold had the keys to the team by week twelve.
Darnold made use of this limited opportunity, and he shone brightly. The Panthers won four of their six games with him under center while throwing seven touchdowns and just three interceptions. Sure, it was not the performance you would expect out of a third overall pick, but it was progress nonetheless.
After the late-season success, Darnold signed with and won the QB2 job in San Francisco for the 2023 season. Backing up Brock Purdy, Darnold would not see much action this season, except for a throwaway start in week 18. While on the surface he did not do much this season, it was behind the scenes where he grew tons as a player and a professional.
“That year was incredible,” Darnold said, circling back to 2023. “To be able to learn football from Kyle (Shanahan), from that entire staff that was there, [former QB coach] Brian Griese, the Kubiaks, [now-Seahawks offensive coordinator] Klint, who obviously, we’re with now.”
Kyle Shanahan, who is one of the league’s most progressive offensive minds, seemed to have helped Darnold immensely throughout the season. This one-year stint may have been exactly what the doctor ordered for Darnold before he made the move to the state of hockey.
After the 2023 season, Darnold signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings. His duties were presumably similar to the 2023 season, backing up the young, talented quarterback and providing stability. The Vikings had just moved up in the 2024 NFL draft to select QB J.J. McCarthy, and he was expected to be the franchise guy moving forward. However, during a preseason game, he tore his meniscus, effectively ending the rookie’s season.
This put the new Viking in a precarious position. He was now expected to start for the most competitive team in his career, and he was expected to win now with a loaded offense. And boy did he deliver. He threw for over 4300 yards and 35 touchdowns while leading the Vikings to a 14-win season. Not bad for a career journeyman and backup. Absolutely nobody saw the meteoric rise of Sam Darnold coming, but in reality, the development was happening behind the scenes the whole time.
Unfortunately, his last two games for the Vikings were ugly ones, which is why the team decided to move on from him during the 2025 NFL offseason. It would not take long for another team to swoop him up, as the Seattle Seahawks gave him a three year 100 million deal. It was a big bet on a guy who had only had one successful full season during his seven years in the league, but Darnold was determined to prove he was not a one-hit wonder.
Spoiler alert: he was not a one-hit wonder. Darnold proved to everyone that he could consistently play at an elite level, as he followed up his last 14-win season with another one. The only other QB to do so is Tom Brady. The Seahawks’ passing game featured one of the league’s most feared QB and wide receiver duos, Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. he did not have to play hero ball every game, as the Seahawks offense offered both elite running backs and receivers.
The only thing left for Darnold to prove was his ability to play in big games. It was his only real knock while with the Vikings, and the sentiment was still that he folded under pressure. That was until week 18 against the 49ers with the one seed on the line. He did not have the best stats, but he did not have to; all he had to do was not lose the game. And he did just that, as the Seahawks clinched the one seed with a 13-3 win.
Darnold was not done proving his doubters wrong, though, as he followed that game up with the Seahawks divisional round pounding of the 49ers. Once again, he did not have the most eye-popping stats, but he did his job on offense, which is all that matters.
Sam Darnold will now play in the biggest game of his career on Sunday in the NFC championship game against the Los Angeles Rams. There is no doubt that he will have to play better than he has in his last two games, but so far, he has shown that he is up to the task. Darnold has completely turned his career around by taking himself out of the spotlight and taking the necessary time to learn and develop behind the scenes.
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