Seattle Seahawks fans will forever be grateful to Sam Darnold and what he helped the 2025 team accomplish. While Darnold was never the best quarterback in the league at any given time last season, he did enough to help get this team back to the Super Bowl, where they won their first trophy since the 2013 season.
As a result, it's nice to see Darnold being given the respect he deserves. Owen Smith of Arrowhead Addict recently ranked every quarterback that the Kansas City Chiefs would face in 2026 and put Darnold in the top half of the rankings, as the former USC Trojan came in sixth on Smith's list.
"Over the past two seasons, Darnold has executed one of the most remarkable career turnarounds in NFL history, which culminated in him hoisting the Lombardi trophy in February," Smith wrote. "Since returning to a starting role with Minnesota in 2024, the GEQBUS (look it up) has been one of the league's best signal callers, leading two different franchises to 14-win seasons. In addition to his immense team success, Darnold has also been elite statistically.
Over the past two seasons, the nine-year vet ranks third in passing yards, third in yards per attempt, is tied for fifth in passing touchdowns and seventh in passer rating."
Sam Darnold given respectable ranking by unlikely source
It'd be easy for a Chiefs writer to overlook what Darnold has accomplished in recent years simply because that franchise has had one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Patrick Mahomes. Smith didn't do that, though, and pointed out just how dominant Darnold has been for both the Vikings and the Seahawks.
It's true that Darnold isn't a world beater by any means, but he was exactly what the Seahawks needed in 2025 and played the way Seattle needed him to play. That culminated in a trip to the top of the NFL mountain top, something that never seemed attainable for Darnold early in his career when he was struggling in New York.
For what it's worth, the five quarterbacks ranked ahead of Darnold were Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, Joe Burrow, Drake Maye, and Justin Herbert. It's hard to argue with those guys being ahead of Darnold, even if he did beat Maye in the Super Bowl.
It's cool to see other fan bases recognize Darnold and how far the Seahawks signal-caller has come. Hopefully, when he squares off against the Chiefs in Week 7, he can show exactly why Smith ranked him where he did.
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