Over the past three NFL seasons, six different quarterbacks have been honored with All-Pro status. Perhaps surprisingly to many fans, Patrick Mahomes is not one of the six. His last All-Pro award came in 2022. Perhaps surprisingly to absolutely no one, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is also not among the six.
Darnold led the Seahawks to their second Super Bowl title last year, and that has at least quieted the chorus of experts who doubted he would ever overcome his “draft bust” reputation. Still, very few observers outside the northwest seem ready to call him one of the best in the league. Has he earned that right? What should Seahawks fans expect from their signal-caller in 2026?
Brock Huard recently recorded a quick update on what he has witnessed at Seahawks minicamp. The first item on his list was Darnold. The first word he used to describe the Seahawks QB – “awesome.”
Seattle Seahawks QB1 Sam Darnold ready to cement his position amongst the league’s elite
Darnold should not have anything left to prove, but overcoming early conceptions can be difficult. All Seahawks fans know the back story. Number three overall pick in the 2018 draft. Flamed out with the Jets. Flamed out with the Panthers.
The fact that both teams had substandard rosters when he was there doesn’t matter to most fans and experts alike. Great QBs are supposed to transcend such things.
But look at the last two years. Darnold finally went to good franchises with good talent. He had a fine offensive coach in Minnesota in 2024. He had an excellent team in Seattle in 2025. And here’s what he did.
28-6 as a starting quarterback. That’s an 82% win rate in the regular season despite switching teams and learning an entirely new system. That number blows away the records of the QBs who did get All-Pro recognition over the last three seasons.
The closest, Josh Allen, won 74% of his games. Jared Goff, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, and Matthew Stafford – the other All-Pro honorees since 2023 - have a combined winning percentage of 60% in the last two years.
In case you forgot, Darnold has won 82%. And a Super Bowl. But it was just his team, the experts say. He is just a game manager. Really?
When Darnold was quarterbacking the Vikings in 2024, they ranked 12th in yardage and 9th in scoring offense. The following year – same team, mind you – they plummeted to 28th and 26th.
In 2024, the Seahawks were 14th in yards and 18th in scoring. The following year, with Darnold at quarterback, those ranks rose to 8th and 3rd.
Sure, a new offensive coordinator helped. A better offensive line helped. But why is it that those things – coaching, roster – didn’t matter to anyone when Darnold was failing in New York and Carolina? Now, suddenly, they matter a great deal to some analysts who just can’t bear to think maybe they were wrong about Darnold.
Compare his numbers over the two seasons to future Hall of Famer Matthew Stafford. In addition to winning more games and winning a championship, Darnold has completed a higher percentage of passes. Stafford has thrown six more touchdowns and has about 100 more total yards, but he also threw almost 100 more passes. Darnold’s yards-per-attempt is more than a half-yard higher.
That’s a significant number.
Is Darnold better than Stafford? No. He still throws too many interceptions. But that stat is often overvalued.
No one wants to throw interceptions, but it is not the end of the world. Three of the all-time leaders in interceptions are Hall of Famers Brett Favre, Dan Marino, and Peyton Manning. They threw a ton of passes, so comparing raw numbers may not be fair. Instead, look at their interception percentages.
Favre – 3.3%. Marino – 3.0%. Manning – 2.7%.
Sam Darnold currently has a career interception percentage of 2.9%, right in the middle of those Hall of Famers. Again, he should strive to cut the number down, but it is a survivable figure.
And I expect Darnold will, in fact, cut that number down this year. He is with the same team for the second straight season. He knows his teammates, and they know him. And they both know he can lead them to a championship.
On the negative side, there will be a new system under a new coordinator. But if Brian Fleury is smart, and every indication suggests he is, he will just be tweaking the Klint Kubiak system from last season, at least at first.
Brock Huard lauded Sam Darnold’s precision, timing, and accuracy in minicamp. He looks to be in complete command of his team. And still, how often do you hear Darnold’s name mentioned amongst the elites?
Fair enough. I suppose he will just have to go out and win another Super Bowl. Maybe that will convince the league he is indeed an All-Pro.
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