Sam Darnold's Seahawks success doesn't guarantee much for other QBs like him

Sam Darnold is the epitome of an NFL quarterback, writing another chapter in his football career. He went from a draft bust with the New York Jets to bouncing around with the Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, and now, the Seattle Seahawks. 

Darnold's story has been that of redemption, resurgence, and resurrection — a lesson to all other young quarterbacks drafted with high expectations that just because you fail once or twice, that doesn't always mean the death of your NFL career. Darnold has overcome and vanquished the death of his career. 

That being said, is Darnold's comeback story a one-off? Or is it a blueprint of hope for someone like Zach Wilson, whose career is all but over, but if given one more chance, can he revive a busted career? While Darnold's story is exceptional and heart-warming, and while there is hope for others in it, the likelihood of it being replicated with someone else is, well, more unlikely than not. 

Seattle Seahawks' Sam Darnold's story is not the blueprint for the Zach Wilson's of the world

Other than Darnold, Baker Mayfield is truly the only other quarterback who was cut loose by his drafting franchise, bounced around, and found a home elsewhere, only to succeed. The paths between Mayfield and Darnold are similar in that regard, but over the last decade, this path has been uncommon. 

Cinderella stories are exactly that for a reason: they're uncommon, and more than likely not to be duplicated time and time again. It's more likely than not that Mac Jones, Kyler Murray, Justin Fields, or Zach Wilson doesn't follow this path. Wilson hasn't been heard from since his departure from the Jets (he was with the Miami Dolphins last season).

In fact, we've seen on numerous occasions, high-potential draft selections fail once and never find another footing. Josh Rosen (drafted in 2018)  and Paxton Lynch (drafted in 2016), for example, came out of college with high expectations and were out of the NFL within five years. They never experienced any resemblance to a revival such as Darnold’s.

Kenny Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky are also examples of teams realizing "they're just not the guy" and cutting bait after a few seasons, only for both players to eventually fizzle out and never be a starting quarterback in the NFL again. 

Darnold's career is unique because it's not easy to do, and that's why his story should, yes, give hope, but never guarantee that any quarterback who failed with their first team will automatically get a second or third chance to be a quality quarterback in the NFL. 

For many young quarterbacks to have a slim chance at reviving their careers, it's better to be cut by the team that drafted them. For Darnold, he was likely never going to be successful in New York, and in that way, they were right to move on from him. 

Never say never, of course, because who knows, Kyler Murray might follow a Mayfield path and find success, but not an overabundance of it. Or Malik Willis, who has a high probability of finding a starting role next season, but failed in his first attempt. 

No, Darnold's career story is more unlikely than likely to happen all too often, and that's why his story is so incredible as it is. He's in the class of one of the few, because there aren't many to begin with, and that is a fairly impressive class all its own.