Sam Darnold entered the NFL in 2018 as one of the more gifted quarterbacks of his draft class.
But he quickly learned that a quarterback’s environment is arguably the most critical factor in their development and long-term success.
Despite his hardships and playing for his fifth team in eight seasons, Darnold, 28, finally has a chance to rewrite his narrative by helping the Seahawks win their second Super Bowl this Sunday against the Patriots.
“It’s always just been about putting in hard work, every single day,” Darnold said this week. “Hard work and all the dedication and hours I put in in the offseason, during the season, it leads to this moment. That’s the mindset I have, and really the mindset I’ve had my entire career.”
Darnold’s epic fall and now incredible rise over the last two seasons is like a storybook.
Gang Green selected Darnold with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft at just 20 years old. But he never had organizational stability and a sufficient supporting cast during his three seasons with the Jets and was traded to the Panthers in 2021 after Robert Saleh became coach.
In his three seasons with the Jets, Darnold posted a 78.6 passer rating, ranking 45th among 47 quarterbacks. He also won fewer games during his three seasons with the Jets (13) than he did in his lone season with the Vikings (14) last year and this year with the Seahawks (14).
Darnold was also in a very similar situation in Carolina. His offensive coordinator, Joe Brady, was fired midway through the 2021 season. Then Darnold’s coach, Matt Rhule, was fired in 2022 after five games. In 17 starts for the Panthers, Darnold threw for 3,670 yards with 16 touchdowns, 16 interceptions and a passer rating of 77.3.
But Darnold believes those early hardships helped him have success now.
“Just learning how to flush bad plays, flush bad games,” Darnold said. “At the end of the day, no matter if I had a bad game or a bad rep or a bad series of plays, I always was able to wake up the next day and move on.
“As a young player, early on in my career, I was really hard on myself. After a bad rep or a bad practice, I would let it affect my attitude a little bit. Just being able to have a great attitude all the time, ‘All right, that happens, it’s football, we’re not always going to be perfect.’”
It wasn’t until Darnold signed a one-year contract with the 49ers in 2023 that he finally received the type of support he needed. He started just one game in San Francisco, but Kyle Shanahan provided him with an offense that aligns with his skill set rather than forcing him in a system. Shanahan also provided Darnold with a structured environment that included a solid offensive line, reliable playmakers and a supportive coaching staff, which allowed him to build confidence, something that was missing with the Jets and Panthers.
Darnold remembers a quote he heard from Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice that has stayed with him.
“I’m paraphrasing, but he never had a perfect practice or perfect game,” Darnold said. “That’s the mindset that I’ve had after my first few years in the NFL. It’s not always going to be perfect.
“That’s why everybody loves this game, and people call it some of the best reality TV there is, because nothing is always perfect. It’s about how can you move on from mistakes to continue to better the team and better yourself? That’s how I’ve had that mindset. I feel like I learned a ton from my early years with that.
“You’re never going to have a perfect day out there, and once you truly understand that, you can go out there and play free.”
Darnold finally had a breakout season with the Vikings in 2024 after J.J. McCarthy’s meniscus tear in training camp. He helped the Vikings to a 14-3 record, finishing with 4,319 yards, a career-high 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. But after a horrific playoff loss to the Rams in the NFC Wild Card round, Minnesota let Darnold walk.
Just like he did in Minnesota, Darnold had something to prove in Seattle after signing a three-year, $100.5 million contract last offseason. Not only did Darnold help the Seahawks defeat the 49ers and Rams to reach the Super Bowl, but he did it battling an oblique injury.
Unlike his time with the Jets and Panthers, Darnold was efficient and did not commit a turnover in both playoff victories. He even outplayed 2025 NFL MVP Matthew Stafford in the NFC Championship game.
“Sam’s just been so resilient,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “I feel like I’m giving you guys a terrible answer, because I give you the same answer every time, but that’s really what it is. He’s so steadfast in his approach, he’s confident in who he is.
“He understands how much his team believes in him and has his back, so just keep firing away, man, keep being you, go to the next play. He’s a same guy after he has a perfect passer rating, he’s not strutting around like he’s solved all the world’s problems, compared to a game where maybe we didn’t execute as well, so that’s what you appreciate about him.”
Darnold’s starting point is in the rear-view mirror. No one knows how his career will end or whether he will win Super Bowl LX. But Darnold’s story shows that having a successful environment is just as important as the quarterback himself.
