Sam Darnold’s journey in the NFL is like no other. Coming out of high school, Darnold was a 4-star recruit and ranked as the fifth-best dual-threat QB in his class. After some deliberations over where he wished to play football, he ended up committing to the nearby University of Southern California over other Pac-12 schools like Oregon and Utah.
When Darnold arrived at USC, like most freshman players, he sat on the bench for his first season as the third-string QB. But in 2016, he finally got his big break. He started off the season as the backup to Max Browne, a player widely considered to be the best in his recruiting class at the time. But after Browne’s rough 1-2 start to the 2016 season, he was benched in favor of Darnold. Darnold leaped at the opportunity and showed that the decision to start him was clearly the right one. As a redshirt freshman, he threw for over 3,000 yards and 31 touchdowns, an impressive statline that immediately put him in conversation with the top college quarterbacks at the time. He was named Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year and became the first-ever freshman recipient of the Archie Griffin Award, given annually to college football’s most valuable player.
Darnold’s success continued into his sophomore year, where he led USC to an 11-3 record and a Pac-12 championship. After another impressive season, Darnold declared for the 2018 draft, where he was selected number 3 overall by the New York Jets.
In his first NFL season, Darnold struggled mightily. He couldn’t seem to keep up with the fast-paced play in the NFL, and did not look like the franchise QB that Jets fans were hoping for. He finished his rookie season with 2,865 passing yards, 17 touchdown passes, and 15 interceptions, leading the Jets to a 4-12 record.
Over the next two seasons, Darnold and the Jets continued to struggle, and after a 2-14 season in 2020, New York decided to move on from Darnold, trading him to the Carolina Panthers for three draft picks. After mediocre stints with the Panthers and San Francisco 49ers, it looked as though Darnold would remain a backup for the rest of his career.
Then, in 2024, he made a decision that would change his career. He signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings, where he was expected to compete with first-round pick J.J. McCarthy for the starting quarterback spot. However, McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason, giving Darnold the starting QB spot. This time, Darnold did not waste his chance. He was one of the best QBs in the league, throwing for over 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns, while leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record. For his efforts, Darnold was awarded his first Pro Bowl Selection and the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award. It seemed like Darnold had finally found his groove in the NFL and was starting to live up to the hype he generated going into the 2018 draft.
After the Vikings indicated they wanted McCarthy to be their starting quarterback for the 2025 season, Darnold signed a 3-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks, who had just moved on from QB Geno Smith. This decision has proved to be one of the best in Seahawks franchise history. Darnold played the best football of his career this season, leading the Seahawks to the one seed in the playoffs and a first-round bye. He developed a fantastic connection with Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and the Seattle offense dominated the rest of the league.
After demolishing the San Francisco 49ers 41-6 and narrowly beating the Los Angeles Rams 31-27, the Seahawks and Darnold found themselves in Super Bowl LX facing the New England Patriots, led by the young star QB Drake Maye. Last Sunday, Darnold looked incredibly calm in the big game, running the Seahawks offense with pace and leading the team to a Super Bowl win.
Darnold’s underdog story is one of the most interesting in NFL history. If you had told me two years ago that Sam Darnold would be leading a team to the Super Bowl, I wouldn’t have believed it for one second. But Darnold kept pushing, never gave up, and showed that hard work does pay off. He refused to listen to those who said he would never start in the NFL again, and he showed that it’s never too late to turn around your career, or even your life. From forgotten backup to Super Bowl champion, Sam Darnold showed that the story isn’t over until you decide it is.
