When you think of Russell Wilson's Seattle Seahawks career, a Super Bowl-winning quarterback and face of the franchise should come to mind first, because those are and were what he was. Especially as far as quarterbacks go, Wilson is the most recognizable and still is to this day.
No matter how Wilson's football career turned out after leaving the Seahawks, there's no doubt he had much success in Seattle, as did the team, for many reasons. There may even come a time when the Seahawks retire Wilson's jersey, which would be well deserved. That said, what Wilson did with the Seahawks might be under duress.
With the emergence of Sam Darnold, the Seahawks have a new lease on life in the NFL after a few years of wandering. Darnold, of all quarterbacks, has offered the Seahawks a new path moving forward, as long as he remains upright and avoids falling backward. Which leads to the question: Does Darnold have a chance at having a better Seahawks career than Wilson did?
Sam Darnold can have a greater Seattle Seahawks career than Russell Wilson
This is not a "who's better than the other" conversation, because in his prime, Wilson was electric on the field: the way he moved, scrambled, used his legs, and avoided oncoming rushes—things Darnold simply doesn't have the ability to replicate. Wilson was unique, whereas Darnold is not.
However, what Darnold may have over Wilson is time; time to extend this Seahawks run well past the time Wilson had with his. Only one season into his Seahawks career, Darnold is already running it back to defend a Super Bowl. Yes, Wilson was similarly in the same boat, having won his Super Bowl very early and being on his way to a second. This is the test Darnold now faces.
What's different is the quarterbacks and how they play. Darnold's style of quarterback play typically leads to longevity. Of course, for Darnold to remain the Seahawks' quarterback past his current deal, he has to avoid falling off. He has two seasons to avoid it, as his deal is up in 2028.
While his resurrection as an NFL quarterback over the past two years has been amazing to watch, it wasn't long ago that Darnold was closer to being out of the league. What works in his favor, in fact, is being in Seattle. It may be that, within their organization and structure, Darnold won't have a chance to fall off or revert to being a bad quarterback.
Furthermore, this Seahawks team is one that can compete and win more than one Super Bowl over the next several years. Darnold doesn't have to be great or elite to lead them, either. He does have to be consistent, reliable, and very good, though. It's more likely he can do those things and be that player than not.
If Darnold stays in Seattle for several more years and the Seahawks win one or two more championships, there is a strong argument for moving Wilson to the side and declaring Darnold's career as Seattle's quarterback the greater one.
Darnold would never be considered the better player in terms of skill and talent. How about as far as winning, though? Darnold has a very legitimate chance to win more Super Bowls in Seattle than Wilson did. That would have to count as something significant when legacies are spoken of, wouldn't it?
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