Sam Darnold has worn five NFL uniforms and the same number in all of them. He went from a failed No. 3 overall pick to a backup nobody wanted to a Super Bowl winning starter in Seattle, and it took him seven years and four cities.
New York Jets, 2018 to 2020
The Jets took Darnold third overall in 2018 out of USC, where he had played two seasons after redshirting. He was 21 years old and started as a rookie. His first NFL pass was returned for a touchdown, which set a tone the franchise never escaped.
Over three seasons he started all 38 games he played and went 13-25, throwing for 8,097 yards with 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions. He was sacked 98 times in that span. The Jets held the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft and moved on.
Carolina Panthers, 2021 to 2022
New York traded him to Carolina in April 2021 for a 2021 sixth round pick and second and fourth rounders in 2022. Carolina picked up his fifth year option and handed him the job.
It did not work. He appeared in 18 games over two seasons, starting 17, and threw for 3,670 yards with 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while spending time on injured reserve in both years and eventually splitting the job with Baker Mayfield. He left as a free agent with his value at its lowest point.
San Francisco 49ers, 2023
This is the stop that changed things, and he barely played. Darnold signed with San Francisco in March 2023 specifically to sit behind Brock Purdy and learn from Kyle Shanahan. He appeared in 10 games, almost all in mop up duty, and threw 46 passes for 297 yards.
His one start came in Week 18 against the Rams after the 49ers had locked up the No. 1 seed. He went 16 of 26 for 189 yards and a touchdown in a 21-20 loss. A year in that system did more for him than three years of starting had.
Minnesota Vikings, 2024
Minnesota signed him to a one year deal in March 2024 as a bridge after Kirk Cousins left for Atlanta. When first round pick J.J. McCarthy went down in the preseason, the job was Darnold’s without a competition.
He threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns, made the Pro Bowl, and won PFWA Most Improved Player as the Vikings went 14-3 under Kevin O’Connell. It ended badly, with a rough Week 18 and a 27-9 wild card loss to the Rams, and Minnesota let him go to hand the job to McCarthy.
Seattle Seahawks, 2025 to Present
Seattle signed him in March 2025 to a three year deal worth $100.5 million, replacing Geno Smith, who was traded to Las Vegas. He took Metcalf’s old No. 14, the same number he has worn everywhere.
In Seattle he has been what the Jets drafted him to be. He led the Seahawks to the NFC’s No. 1 seed and then to a 29-13 win over New England in Super Bowl LX, the franchise’s second championship. He threw for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns across 17 games last season.
Career Totals
Through 2025 Darnold has played 100 NFL games and thrown for 20,431 yards with 123 touchdowns. He was born June 5, 1997, in Capistrano Beach, California, and is listed at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds.
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The Bottom Line
Five teams in eight seasons, and the one that finally worked came after the year he spent not playing at all. Darnold opens 2026 against the team he beat in the Super Bowl.