Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is headed to the Super Bowl for the first time in his 8th year in the NFL, but the route to stardom for Darnold was very unorthodox.
Coming out of college, a top-flight prospect out of USC, the thought was immediately that he would be a star in the NFL and he would save one of the following franchises, the Cleveland Browns, the New York Giants or the New York Jets. With the first two picks of the 2018 NFL Draft, Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley came off the board, leaving the Jets with the coveted Darnold.
After all the hype, it is worth mentioning that his first NFL pass was an interception returned for a touchdown by his now-teammate, Quandre Diggs, back when he was on the Lions. The Jets went on to win the game, but it was clear the young QB had some reckless in his game, the kind that proper coaching wouldn’t easily fix.
Darnold finished his rookie campaign with a 4-9 record with 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, which isn’t great by any stretch. But with a rookie QB, all you are really looking for is a reason to be optimistic for the future, which Darnold certainly provided.
In 2019 and 2020, however, the spark was gone. Twenty-eight passing touchdowns and 24 interceptions, in a league that is results-based, just won’t cut it for a second- and third-year quarterback. Not to mention, the Jets ended the year 2-14 and earning the 2nd pick in the draft.
Darnold, heading into the fourth and possibly final year of his rookie contract, was determined to turn it around. General Manager Joe Douglas had a tough choice to make between keeping Darnold, who continues to struggle, and lose or draft the second-best QB in the class whether it was Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Mac Jones or Justin Fields.
A month before the 2021 NFL Draft, Douglas made up his mind. Sam Darnold was traded to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a second-, fourth-, and sixth-round pick. He would go on to choose Zach Wilson. Darnold would get a desperately needed change of scenery, but things still wouldn’t go as planned.
As a Panther, Darnold would go 8-10 with 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. The same player who could make every throw at USC hit a wall in the NFL and was set to hit free agency with very little career success.
Darnold would hope to get back on his feet in a one-year, cheap, backup role on the 49ers under the mentorship of offensive guru head coach Kyle Shanahan. Sam would come into games mostly when the 49ers were up by a bunch and to protect starter Brock Purdy from injury. While 2 touchdowns and 1 interception may not scream franchise quarterback, Darnold in a great system gained respect in NFL circles, but not enough for a multi-year deal.
In March 2024, Darnold signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings. If Darnold impressed he would be up for a huge contract the following year. If he failed, the story of Sam Darnold would be career backup.
Darnold silenced every doubter with the Vikings to say the least. He tossed 35 touchdowns, a career high, and led the Vikings to the playoffs with a 14-3 record.
The regular season was where the magic ended for the 2024 Vikings as they were humiliated by the Rams in the first round, but no doubt Darnold was going to be a franchise quarterback. The question around Darnold was where was he going to play, since the year the Vikings signed Sam, they drafted J.J. McCarthy with a premium draft pick. Once again, Sam got passed up for a younger guy.
While these decisions were being made, a very interesting trade happened in the NFC. Geno Smith was traded from Seattle to Las Vegas in exchange for a mid-round pick and all of a sudden the perennial contending Seahawks had a vacancy at quarterback.
Three days later, Darnold signed with the Seahawks on a three-year $100.5 million deal. A team finally committed to Darnold, granting him the security he had never seen in his career to this point.
The Seattle Seahawks and Sam Darnold topped the NFC and earned the 1 seed throughout the playoffs, but there was one more piece of criticism Darnold needed to put to bed, that he can’t perform in a meaningful game. In his two playoff games to this point, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 2 wins.
Another narrative about Darnold was killed. First he was a “bust,” then a “backup,” next a “bridge quarterback,” followed by a “system quarterback.”
For the first time in his career, Sam Darnold is the one who can give himself a name instead of the media. He is one win away from “Super Bowl Champion.” Time will tell if he will get it done, but the story of Sam Darnold is one of continuing to believe in yourself regardless of circumstance and opportunity.
