Sam Darnold’s NFL Career Is a Story of Resiliency

Once written off as a draft bust, former USC Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold has led the Seattle Seahawks to a berth in Super Bowl LX in his first season with the franchise.

Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) celebrates with the trophy on the podium after defeating the Los Angeles Rams in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Former USC Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold has led the Seattle Seahawks to a berth in Super Bowl LX after a stellar performance against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game Sunday night.  

It’s the brightest moment of Darnold's career but it's been quite the journey for Darnold to get to this point. He was supposed to be the franchise quarterback New York Jets fans had been waiting decades for when they selected the with No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. 

Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) celebrates with the trophy on the podium after defeating the Los Angeles Rams in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Instead, he lasted just three seasons in New York before they drafted another quarterback to replace him. Darnold was shipped off to Carolina, where it was more of the same. He battled injuries and overall just didn’t play well. In two seasons with the Panthers, he was of 8-9 as a starter and threw 16 touchdowns versus 16 interceptions.

He had been written off and signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 to be a backup. A year that ultimately changed the trajectory of his career, learning from offensive genius Kyle Shanahan. 

He signed another one-year deal with Minnesota Vikings in 2024, to be a bridge for first-round pick JJ McCarthy, who ended up suffering a season-ending knee injury in the preseason, meaning this would undoubtedly be Darnold’s team for the season. 

MORE: USC Fans Will Love Latest Makai Lemon NFL Draft Projection

MORE: The Underrated Reason Why The Gary Patterson Hire At USC Will Work

MORE: USC Trojans Fans Will Be Devastated If This UCLA Prediction Comes True

He took the opportunity and ran with it, setting career-highs in passing yards, touchdowns and quarterback rating, earning his first Pro Bowl nod under Kevin O'Connell. Darnold led Minnesota to a 14-3 record but after a disastrous week 18 performance against the Detroit Lions, which could have gave the Vikings the one seed, followed by another horrific game in the Wild Card round against the Rams, the Vikings decided to move forward with McCarthy. 

Darnold became an unrestricted free agent and signed a three-year deal with the Seahawks. He found a home in Seattle, leading them to a 14-3 record and the one seed. 

The 28-year-old signal-caller has completely changed the narrative of his career. Once labeled a draft bust, Darnold will now become the first USC quarterback to start in a Super Bowl.  

Sam Darnold’s Path at USC 

Dec 29, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold (14) prior to the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2017 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

Darnold missed the final seven games of his junior season in high school with a broken foot and his dream of staying in Southern California for his collegiate career began to slowly disappear. He got the opportunity to work out in front of then USC head coach Steve Sarkisian and Clay Helton in the offseason and made a lasting impression, earning a scholarship from Southern Cal in the summer before his senior year. 

Darnold was one of two quarterbacks USC signed in the 2015 class. Ricky Town was the five-star recruit and an early enrollee, while Darnold didn’t arrive until the summer. But that never scared him off, from committing or competing. 

Town transferred two weeks into fall camp and Darnold redshirted his first season on campus. The following year, Darnold battled Max Browne, a former five-star recruit, who had waited three years for his chance to be the starter at Southern Cal. 

Browne earned the job but was replaced by Darnold three games into the season. USC fell to Utah on the road in Darnold’s first start, and then never looked back, winning nine in a row. 

A season that was highlighted by an upset win over No. 4 Washington in Seattle and a win in the 2016 Rose Bowl over Penn State, in which the Trojans trailed by 14 points heading into the fourth quarter. USC never flinched because their quarterback never did. Southern Cal scored 10 points in the final 80 seconds of regulation to pull off a 52-49 thrilling victory. 

Jan 2, 2017; Pasadena, CA, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold (14) celebrates on the podium after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions in the 2017 Rose Bowl game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The following year, he led the Trojans to a Pac-12 Championship and a New Year’s Six Bowl. That wasn’t supposed to be Darnold’s career at USC, it was supposed to belong to any of the other guys. 

It’s only fitting that Darnold played his college ball in Los Angeles because his football story is straight out of a Hollywood script. A career of the highest of highs and lowest of lows. He’s overcome adversity at every turn.