When Sam Darnold walked off the field at Lumen Field on January 17, 2026, after dismantling the San Francisco 49ers 41-6 in the NFC Divisional Round, it marked more than just his first career playoff victory. It represented the culmination of an eight-year odyssey through professional football's most unforgiving landscape—a journey that saw four different franchises give up on the quarterback who was once considered a can't-miss prospect.
Now, just one win away from Super Bowl LX, Darnold stands on the precipice of NFL history. If the Seattle Seahawks defeat the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday's NFC Championship Game, the former USC star would become the first Trojans quarterback ever to start in a Super Bowl. More importantly, he'd cement one of the most remarkable comeback stories in modern sports.
The USC Foundation
Before the disappointments and deflating losses, before the trades and the backup roles, Sam Darnold was college football royalty. At USC from 2016-2017, Darnold redshirted his freshman year before exploding onto the national scene as a redshirt freshman. Taking over as starter after the Trojans stumbled to a 1-2 start, Darnold never looked back.
His college résumé speaks for itself: 7,229 passing yards, 57 touchdowns, and just 22 interceptions over two seasons. He led USC to a Rose Bowl victory over Penn State, earned MVP honors in the Pac-12 Championship Game, and finished as a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2017. His 64.9% completion percentage and ability to make plays both in and out of the pocket made him the consensus third-best prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft.
"He was special," USC coach Clay Helton said at the time. "The maturity, the leadership, the arm talent—he had everything you look for in a franchise quarterback."
The NFL agreed. On April 26, 2018, the New York Jets traded three second-round picks to move up and select Darnold with the third overall pick, convinced they'd found their next great quarterback.
Stop 1: New York Jets (2018-2020) - The Chaos Years
What followed in New York was three years of organizational dysfunction that would have broken lesser players. Darnold inherited a Jets roster that ranked among the NFL's worst, playing behind a porous offensive line with no 1,000-yard rushers or receivers. In three seasons, he played under two head coaches (Todd Bowles and Adam Gase) and multiple offensive coordinators.
The statistics tell a brutal story:
| Season | Record as Starter | TD | INT | Passer Rating | Completion % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 4-9 | 17 | 15 | 77.6 | 57.7% |
| 2019 | 7-6 | 19 | 13 | 84.3 | 61.9% |
| 2020 | 2-14 | 9 | 11 | 72.7 | 59.6% |
| TOTAL | 13-25 | 45 | 39 | 78.6 | 59.8% |
Injuries plagued him too—a sprained foot, mononucleosis, and a shoulder injury cost him ten games. Perhaps most damaging was playing under Adam Gase, whose offensive scheme consistently ranked among the league's worst. Two head coaches and one general manager were fired during Darnold's tenure.
"I never got a real chance," Darnold later admitted. But he kept that belief to himself, telling the Jets after the trade that they "made a mistake."
In April 2021, with Zach Wilson available at the second overall pick, the Jets moved on, trading Darnold to Carolina for a sixth-round pick in 2021 and second- and fourth-round picks in 2022.
Stop 2: Carolina Panthers (2021-2022) - The False Start
The Panthers represented a fresh start. Coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Joe Brady believed they could unlock what the Jets couldn't. Carolina even exercised Darnold's fifth-year option, guaranteeing him $18.8 million for 2022—a clear vote of confidence.
Instead, history repeated itself. Darnold battled injuries again, missing time with a fractured scapula and ankle issues. When healthy, he struggled with consistency, throwing as many interceptions (16) as touchdowns (16) over 17 starts in two seasons. The Panthers went 8-9 in games he started.
After going 4-7 as Carolina's starter in 2021, the Panthers were so convinced he wasn't the answer that they pursued Deshaun Watson aggressively. When that fell through, they signed Baker Mayfield, and Darnold lost the starting job in training camp.
By the end of 2022, Darnold's NFL reputation had hit rock bottom. At just 25 years old, he faced free agency with a résumé that screamed "bust."
Stop 3: San Francisco 49ers (2023) - The Learning Year
This is where the redemption story really began, even if nobody knew it at the time. Rather than chasing another starting opportunity, Darnold made the humbling decision to sign a one-year deal with San Francisco to back up Brock Purdy. It was a strategic retreat—a chance to learn from Kyle Shanahan's offensive system and watch a Super Bowl contender operate up close.
Darnold appeared in just one meaningful game all season, but the intangibles mattered more. He absorbed Shanahan's play-calling, studied film differently, and regained his confidence away from the spotlight's glare. When the 49ers chose not to re-sign him, Darnold had rebuilt his reputation as a professional, if not yet as a starter.
Stop 4: Minnesota Vikings (2024) - The Breakout
Minnesota signed Darnold to a one-year, $10 million deal in March 2024, expecting him to be a bridge quarterback while first-round pick J.J. McCarthy developed. When McCarthy tore his meniscus in August, Darnold suddenly became the starter for a 14-3 Vikings team.
What followed stunned the NFL. Under offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell's tutelage, with weapons like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, Darnold posted career-best numbers across the board:
- 4,319 passing yards (5th in NFL)
- 35 touchdowns (5th in NFL)
- 12 interceptions
- 102.5 passer rating (6th in NFL)
- 66.3% completion rate
- Pro Bowl selection
- First QB in NFL history to record 14 wins in first season with a team
Darnold led NFL MVP conversations for much of the season, threw for a franchise-record 157.9 passer rating against Atlanta, and orchestrated multiple fourth-quarter comebacks. The Vikings clinched a playoff berth, and Darnold earned Pro Football Writers of America's Most Improved Player award.
But the ending soured everything. In Week 18, with the NFC's top seed on the line against Detroit, Darnold threw for just 166 yards with no touchdowns in a 31-9 loss. One week later, in the Wild Card round against the Rams, he was sacked a playoff-record nine times for 82 yards, throwing two interceptions in a 27-9 defeat.
Despite his spectacular regular season, the Vikings chose not to franchise tag him (which would have cost $40.2 million) and didn't make a competitive offer. They committed instead to McCarthy as their future.
Darnold, for the fourth time in seven years, was looking for a new home.
Stop 5: Seattle Seahawks (2025-Present) - The Redemption
The Seahawks saw something others missed. First-year coach Mike Macdonald and his staff believed Darnold's 2024 season represented real growth, not just a hot streak propped up by elite weapons. On March 13, 2025, Seattle signed Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract with significant performance incentives.
The structure told the story: the Seahawks could move on after one year if needed, but they were betting on sustained success. Darnold rewarded that faith immediately, leading Seattle to a 14-3 regular season and the NFC's top seed—becoming just the second quarterback ever (after Tom Brady) to post 14-win seasons with two different teams in consecutive years.
His 2025 regular season stats: 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and a second consecutive Pro Bowl selection. But more importantly, the Seahawks built an identity around Darnold—the NFL's number-one ranked defense by EPA and DVOA allowed him to manage games rather than carry the entire offense.
The oblique injury he suffered in practice before the Divisional Round tested his toughness. Listed as questionable all week, Darnold wore protective padding and gutted through pain to complete 12 of 17 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown in Seattle's 41-6 dismantling of San Francisco. That performance earned him a $500,000 contract incentive, with another $500,000 on the line for Sunday's NFC Championship Game—and $1 million more if the Seahawks reach the Super Bowl.
The Road to History
Sunday's matchup against the Rams represents more than just a conference championship. It's a referendum on perseverance, on belief when everyone else has moved on, on the idea that talent eventually wins out if you keep showing up.
The irony isn't lost on anyone: the same Rams team that ended Darnold's Vikings season with that nine-sack nightmare now stands between him and the Super Bowl. Los Angeles went 2-0 against Seattle in the regular season, with Darnold throwing six interceptions across those two games. The Rams' defense, led by coordinator Chris Shula, knows how to rattle him.
But this isn't the same quarterback who wilted under pressure in New York or Carolina. This is a 28-year-old who's been through every possible career low and kept grinding. This is a player who chose to sit behind Brock Purdy for a year rather than chase empty starting reps. This is the QB who told the Jets they made a mistake—and might finally get to prove it on the biggest stage.
"Every stop taught me something," Darnold said after the 49ers win. "The hard times, the benches, the trades—I wouldn't change any of it. It got me here."
If Darnold leads the Seahawks past the Rams on Sunday (6:30 PM ET on FOX), he'll become the first USC quarterback to start a Super Bowl. More than that, he'll validate one of sports' oldest truisms: it's not about where you start, but where you finish.
Four teams gave up on Sam Darnold. The fifth believed. Now, one game from glory, the redemption tour rolls on.
Sources
[1] SI.com - "Sam Darnold Continuing To Prove Everyone Wrong" (https://www.si.com/college/usc/football/sam-darnold-prove-everyone-wrong-seattle-seahawks-quarterback-nfc-championship)
[2] Wikipedia - "Sam Darnold" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Darnold)
[3] Yahoo Sports - "Sam Darnold Eyes $500,000 Bonus" (https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/sam-darnold-eyes-500-000-133031227.html)
[4] Fox News - "Seahawks dominate 49ers in playoff blowout" (https://www.foxnews.com/sports/seahawks-dominate-49ers-playoff-blowout)
[5] Vikings.com - "Sam Darnold Named 2024 Most Improved Player by PFWA" (https://www.vikings.com/news/sam-darnold-pfwa-most-improved-player-2024)
[6] Yahoo Sports - "What teams has Sam Darnold played for?" (https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/teams-sam-darnold-played-why-021102962.html)
[7] ESPN - "New York Jets trade QB Sam Darnold to Carolina Panthers" (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/31199202/new-york-jets-trade-qb-sam-darnold-carolina-panthers-3-draft-picks)
[8] SI.com - "Sam Darnold Addresses Leaving Vikings for Seahawks" (https://www.si.com/nfl/sam-darnold-addresses-leaving-vikings-for-seahawks-ahead-of-week-13-matchup)