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Super Bowl Starters: Sam Darnold's Winding Road vs Drake Maye's Golden Path

February 2, 2026

Super Bowl Starters: Sam Darnold's Winding Road vs Drake Maye's Golden Path

They'll face each other on Sunday at Super Bowl LX, both leading 14-3 teams, both selected third overall in their respective NFL drafts. But the journeys that brought Sam Darnold and Drake Maye to this moment couldn't be more different.

One quarterback took the express lane—20 months from draft day to the Super Bowl. The other traveled a winding seven-year road through five teams, hitting rock bottom before finding redemption. Both paths started with college stardom. Both have led to Levi's Stadium. The question hanging over Sunday's matchup: Does the journey matter if you end up in the same place?

The College Stars

Before either quarterback faced the scrutiny of the NFL, they were college football sensations who left school early after dominant sophomore campaigns.

Drake Maye's UNC Dominance

At North Carolina, Maye's 2022 season was the stuff of legend. As a redshirt freshman, he swept the ACC's major awards—Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Offensive Rookie of the Year. He became just the second player in conference history to accomplish this feat, joining Jameis Winston.1

The numbers backed up the hype. Maye led the entire NCAA in total offense with 5,019 yards, shattering UNC records with 4,321 passing yards and 38 touchdowns while adding 698 rushing yards and seven more scores on the ground.2 He guided the Tar Heels to the ACC Championship Game and earned Freshman of the Year honors from multiple national organizations.

His 2023 sophomore season, while slightly less spectacular statistically, still showcased his elite talent with 3,608 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. After two years in Chapel Hill, Maye left as the school's fifth all-time leading passer with 8,018 yards and fourth in touchdown passes with 63.3

Sam Darnold's USC Heroics

At USC, Darnold's rise was equally dramatic. After redshirting in 2015, he claimed the starting job four games into the 2016 season and never looked back, leading the Trojans to nine consecutive victories.4

His defining moment came in the 2017 Rose Bowl against Penn State. In one of the greatest bowl performances in college football history, Darnold set Rose Bowl records with five passing touchdowns and 473 total yards of offense, completing 33 of 53 passes for 453 yards in a thrilling 52-49 victory. He went 10-for-10 in the fourth quarter alone, engineering two long touchdown drives in the final nine minutes.5

That performance earned him Rose Bowl Offensive Player of the Game honors and the Archie Griffin Award as the nation's most valuable player. In his 2017 season, he threw for 4,143 yards and 26 touchdowns while leading USC to a Pac-12 Championship.6

Both quarterbacks left school as consensus top prospects. Both were selected third overall—Darnold by the Jets in 2018, Maye by the Patriots in 2024. Their college credentials were remarkably similar. What happened next for each contrasted drastically.

Tale of Two Trajectories

Category Sam Darnold Drake Maye
Draft Year 2018 (3rd overall) 2024 (3rd overall)
Age at Draft 20 years old 21 years old
Current Age 28 23
NFL Teams 5 (Jets, Panthers, 49ers, Vikings, Seahawks) 1 (Patriots)
Years to Super Bowl 7 seasons 2 seasons
Time as Starter Started immediately Backup first 5 weeks
Career Record Before SB 43-57 19-11

The Jets Nightmare (2018-2020)

Darnold's NFL career began in the worst possible environment. Thrust immediately into the starting role at age 20, he played behind a porous offensive line with limited weapons and dysfunctional coaching. Over three seasons with the Jets, he went 13-25 as a starter, throwing 45 touchdowns against 39 interceptions. The 2020 season was particularly brutal—a 2-14 record that led to the firing of head coach Adam Gase and the Jets selecting Zach Wilson with the second overall pick in 2021.7

The Jets traded Darnold to Carolina, effectively labeling him a bust after just three years.

The Maye Fast Track (2024-Present)

Maye's entry to the NFL couldn't have been more different. Despite a strong preseason, the Patriots wisely listed him behind veteran Jacoby Brissett for the first five weeks of 2024, allowing him to learn the system. When he took over in Week 6, he was ready.8

His rookie season showed flashes of brilliance, including a franchise-record 91.3% completion percentage in a game against Tennessee. He became the first NFL quarterback since 1973 to throw his first 10 touchdown passes to 10 different receivers, showcasing his ability to spread the ball around.9 He earned Pro Bowl honors as a rookie.

In Year 2, under new head coach Mike Vrabel and returning offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Maye led the Patriots to their first division title since 2019 and a 14-3 record. He earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl selection and second-team All-Pro honors.10

The Carolina Detour and San Francisco Education

While Maye was enjoying immediate success, Darnold's journey took him deeper into the wilderness before finding his way back.

Carolina Chaos (2021-2022)

The Panthers represented a fresh start, but it turned into more of the same. Over 18 games, Darnold went 8-10 as a starter, throwing just 16 touchdowns against 16 interceptions. He battled injuries and inconsistency, splitting time with other quarterbacks. When his contract wasn't renewed after 2022, his stock was at its lowest point.11

The Shanahan Apprenticeship (2023)

Darnold's decision to sign with San Francisco as Brock Purdy's backup might have saved his career. He started just one game all season—a meaningless Week 18 matchup—but spent the year learning Kyle Shanahan's offense and watching how a successful organization operated. While invisible on game days, he was absorbing lessons that would prove invaluable.12

The Parallel Breakouts

Darnold's Minnesota Miracle (2024)

When J.J. McCarthy suffered a preseason knee injury, the Vikings handed the starting job to Darnold with no questions asked. What followed was the best season of his career.

Under Kevin O'Connell's QB-friendly system, Darnold threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns, leading Minnesota to a 14-3 record and a wild-card playoff berth. His completion percentage jumped to a career-best 67.2%, and he made his first Pro Bowl.13

Though he struggled in Week 18 and the playoffs, his renaissance earned him a three-year, $100 million contract with Seattle where he became just the second quarterback ever to post back-to-back 14-win seasons (the other being Tom Brady).

Maye's Steady Ascent (2025)

While Darnold was proving himself in Minnesota, Maye was beginning his second season in New England. The Patriots' decision to hire Vrabel—who cited Maye's presence as a key factor in taking the job—signaled their commitment to building around their young quarterback.14

Maye rewarded that faith. In Week 5 against Buffalo, he orchestrated a 37-yard game-winning drive in the final seconds. In Week 7, he broke Tom Brady's franchise record for completion percentage in a game (91.3%). His ability to stay calm under pressure and make plays with his legs drew comparisons to the dual-threat quarterbacks dominating today's NFL.15

Now at 23, he's leading the Patriots to their first Super Bowl appearance since 2018, attempting to restore the glory of the Brady-Belichick era.

Super Bowl Showdown: The Contrasts Continue

Both quarterbacks enter Sunday's game with identical 14-3 records, but even their Super Bowl weeks reflect their divergent paths.

Darnold is trying to become the first USC quarterback to win a Super Bowl as a starter—a piece of trivia he addressed with characteristic humility. After seven years of doubt and criticism, he's finally getting the recognition his college tape always suggested he deserved.16

Maye, listed as questionable with a shoulder injury and illness this week, represents the continuity the Patriots have been seeking since Brady's departure. At just 23, he's already being compared to the greats, with the pressure of a franchise's expectations on his shoulders.17

What Sunday's Result Will Mean

If Darnold wins, it validates every coach who believed in him when others didn't. It proves that the right system and stability can unlock talent that seemed lost. It's a story about perseverance, about refusing to accept the "bust" label, about taking seven years and five teams to reach your destination.

If Maye wins, it confirms what scouts projected—that he's a generational talent who was always destined for this stage. It's a story about doing everything right, about organizational competence, about the express lane to glory.

But perhaps the real lesson is that both paths are legitimate. The NFL is filled with late bloomers who found the right situation and prodigies who delivered immediately. The journey looks different, but the destination—Super Bowl starter—is the same.

One took the scenic route. One took the highway. On Sunday, they'll meet at the same exit, both 60 minutes from football immortality, both proving that there's more than one way to get there.

Footnotes

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