Few quarterbacks have lived as many lives in the NFL as Sam Darnold. Drafted as a franchise savior, written off as a reclamation project, and now at the center of the Seattle Seahawks’ rise, Darnold’s story has come full circle. But while his performance is drawing praise, Seattle’s front office hasn’t forgotten the uneven road that brought him here. 

Seahawks GM John Schneider recently appeared in an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio and spoke about their quarterback. He started with praise, saying, “He’s really smart. He works his tail off. You can talk to anybody in the building. He’s just been in right away,” but then reflected, “You look at the progress, and when he could’ve gone anywhere he wanted before going to San Francisco to compete for a starting job, he chose to work with Kyle [Shanahan] and that group. Coincidentally, Klint Kubiak was there too. In his mind, he just wanted to learn about the quarterback position, playing from under center, tying his timing to his feet, progressions, situational football, protections– all of it.”

Drafted No. 3 overall by the New York Jets in 2018, Dornald entered the league as the supposed “safest pick”, a polished, pro-ready passer from USC who “checked more boxes”. The Jets envisioned him as their franchise cornerstone, but Darnold went 13–25 as a starter in New York, showing flashes of anticipation and touch amid a system that rarely supported him. When the team bottomed out at 2–14 in 2020 and fired Adam Gase, the QB was dealt to the Carolina Panthers for a modest return. 

Darnold’s first year in Carolina mirrored his Jets struggles, but 2022 showed signs of improvement in limited action, with a 4–2 record and a 92.6 passer rating, his best at the time. His reputation had fallen. But then, the decision to join Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers became what we can call a turning point in his career.

He arrived on a one-year, $4.5 million deal in 2023, knowing Brock Purdy was the starter, but he treated the year as a masterclass in quarterbacking, with few snaps but countless lessons. 

Darnold started only one game, a 16-of-26, 189-yard outing with two total touchdowns against the Rams, yet his command in limited action hinted at growth. More importantly, he absorbed the rhythm and structure that Shanahan drilled into his quarterbacks. “We would talk about reads, but he would talk about defenses,” Darnold recalled. “It was anticipating where we were going in the progression based on coverage. That was really eye-opening for me.” 

He also learned by watching Purdy operate within the system: playing on time, checking down when needed, and trusting the design rather than improvising under pressure. His Christmas-night appearance against the Ravens, when he replaced an injured Purdy and threw a 12-yard touchdown over Roquan Smith’s coverage, showed how those lessons had begun to stick. Shanahan later described that moment as the point when Darnold was “able to marry everything that he had learned” with his natural arm talent and movement ability.

After his 49ers stint, Darnold joined the Minnesota Vikings and proved the impact Shanahan’s coaching had on him. With the Vikings in 2024, Darnold delivered a breakout campaign, throwing for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, while leading the team to a 14–3 record and earning Pro Bowl honors. Their record had them tied with Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles for the second-most wins in the NFL.

However, after his struggles in the final regular-season game and a first-round playoff loss, the Vikings decided not to sign another deal with the QB. This is when the Seahawks took a chance on him. And the team hasn’t regretted signing him to a three-year, $105 million deal.

Kubiak was then San Francisco’s passing game coordinator and is now Seattle’s offensive coordinator. So, by the time he reached the Seahawks, he had already learned to “listen to (his) feet,” play on time, and trust the system. That foundation in structure and timing was something Darnold hadn’t experienced at the start of his career.

Schneider pointed it out, saying, “He gets drafted and goes to the Jets, and there’s really only one person that can run the Peyton Manning offense. That just wasn’t a great situation for him at the time. It’s hard for young guys to step in and just go play.”

The “Peyton Manning offense” he mentioned was head coach Adam Gase’s brainchild: an intricate, no-huddle system modeled after what Gase had built alongside Manning in Denver. It relied on near-instant reads, pre-snap control, and a quarterback capable of diagnosing coverage shifts in seconds. Manning, who once studied film with his helmet on to hear Gase’s calls during practice, thrived in that setup. As ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported in 2019, Gase’s offense “required a quarterback to operate as a coach on the field,” something even veteran passers struggled to master. And replicating that with a 22-year-old still learning the speed of the NFL was a near-impossible task. 

But now, it’s Week 6, and Darnold has been phenomenal. He is the top-graded QB in the NFL per PFF and sits second in ESPN’s QBR. This includes both passing and rushing against tough defenses. “We have a very special quarterback here,” Seahawks tight end AJ Barner said. “And I think people are starting to find that out.” What’s more interesting is that he is playing a crucial role in elevating the team

The Seattle Seahawks continue to rise in the NFL rankings

The Seahawks are climbing the power rankings after a Week 6 victory, beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-12. And this didn’t go unnoticed. Nate Davis slots Seattle at No. 4, while Luke Hubbard (ES) ranks them even higher at No. 3. PFF has the Seahawks’ offense ranked first in the league, with the defense sitting at 11th.

The Seahawks’ offense has been a major threat, led by the league’s arguably most potent quarterback-receiver duo. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been at his best, surpassing wide receiver Puka Nakua, leading in receiving yards (696).

Sam Darnold continues to operate at an elite level, boasting a 116.0 passer rating, one of the best in the league. His precision and poise have translated into explosive production, leading the NFL with 13.5 yards per completion. After years of searching for consistency, Darnold is finally maximizing his opportunities, turning efficiency into big-play success for Seattle’s offense.

If Seattle can keep this balance of elite passing and solid defense, it’ll continue their push up the rankings. Now, the Seahawks will look to continue the momentum into Week 7, where they face a tough Texans defense on Monday night at 10 p.m.