Sam Darnold's Super Bowl win significantly shifts the NFC quarterback hierarchy

Now that Sam Darnold is a Super Bowl champion with the Seattle Seahawks, one of the hottest topics is what this means for him going forward. What is his legacy? Is he elite? Does a ring now make him a top-five quarterback in the league? Questions upon questions upon questions, all because Darnold was a bust, and now, he's not. 

The question of Darnold being elite was tossed around even during the regular season, before the playoffs even began, which was a general "really getting ahead of ourselves" train of thought. That's no disrespect to Darnold, of course, because he really did follow up last year with another great one, capped by a Super Bowl championship.

That said, it is fair to ask: where does this leave Darnold now? Or, more specifically, and more relevant going into next season, where does Darnold now sit amongst the other top quarterbacks in the league, or the NFC?

Seahawks' Sam Darnold isn't elite, but who in the NFC would you rather have over him?

Baker Mayfield. Caleb Williams. Jared Goff. Jordan Love. Dak Prescott. Jayden Daniels. Jalen Hurts. Brock Purdy. Matthew Stafford. These are all tier one to tier 2 quarterbacks in the NFC alone. It's a stacked pack of good to very good to Hall of Fame signal callers (Okay, just Stafford, really).

If we want to talk about winning, Hurts and Stafford sit atop everyone else, but now that Darnold has won, where does he sit? Or, maybe that's the wrong question to ask. A better one could be, who would you rather have over Darnold, right now? And remember, when it comes to quarterback talent, the NFC overshadows the AFC considerably. 

For the sake of Darnold's career extending for the foreseeable future, take Stafford off the menu, because, well, A) there's no argument alive for Darnold being better than him, and B) Stafford will probably retire after one more season. 

Another thing to consider is the team — like Hurts' situation. Who really trusts the Philadelphia Eagles' coaching staff? It's not Hurts that's the true problem, it's who's running the team from the sidelines. What's the better situation, the Eagles or the Seahawks?

Mayfield is also someone else who fell a step behind Darnold this season, as did Jared Goff. Mayfield and Goff are contenders for never reaching a Super Bowl, nevermind winning one, for the remainder of their playing careers. Like in the AFC, one or two of Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen will never win a ring. Goff and Mayfield are in that group in the NFC. 

Love is another question mark: can he stay healthy enough to make the Packers a consistent regular-season winning team or a future playoff threat? Then there is Prescott, who, many could argue, talent and skill-wise, far outshines Darnold, and that's probably true. Again, however, the Dallas Cowboys are not a winning organization at present. 

Then there are the young guns: Williams and Daniels, whose careers are just getting started, while Darnold is right in the middle of his as a 29-year-old. Like Prescott, talent-wise, Williams and Daniels probably have Darnold beat, especially Williams.

As for Purdy, it's strange to say the jury is still out on him — have we actually seen him at his best, and what he can really do in the NFL? I don't think so. Purdy gets a lot of flak, but he might be better than what he's shown us. 

All of that being said, put talent aside, set potential up on a fence post for now, and how many of these quarterbacks in their current situations and their current phases of their careers would you truly take over Darnold today? Only Stafford and maybe Hurts come out unscathed here. Overall, I trust Darnold with the Seahawks over the others. Elite? No, but Darnold doesn't have to be.