NFL insider states the obvious about the Jets and Seahawks QB Sam Darnold

Where a quarterback lands in the NFL has a huge impact on how he develops. Seattle Seahawks starter Sam Darnold is becoming the ultimate cautionary tale about teams failing to grow talented QBs, only to watch them bloom into stars with other teams.

To be fair, Darnold was not a remotely good quarterback when he first came into the league with the New York Jets. While his arm talent was apparent his decision-making was suspect at best, and he had a dismal touchdown-to-interception ratio his first few years.

After three seasons the Jets gave up on Darnold, shipping him off to the Carolina Panthers in a trade following the 2020 season. Fast forward five years, and now you can bet that the Jets regret that decision, because Darnold has grown into an MVP candidate and an elite talent at quarterback.

Here's Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer breaking down the obvious: the Jets royally screwed up developing Darnold.

Maybe Sam Darnold is just a really good quarterback now, and the Jets screwed up his development? Is that really so hard for people to wrap their heads around? https://t.co/heKnLqUasQ
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 3, 2025

Darnold showed signs of progress during his time in Carolina, but that organization also gave up on him too early - one of many quarterback fumbles the Panthers have made at the position since releasing Cam Newton.

From there, Darnold moved on to the 49ers, where he spent a year as a backup behind Brock Purdy. Kyle Shanahan's scheme doest not require a quality quarterback to produce an elite scoring unit and the success Mac Jones has had this season shows how absurd the contract is they gave Purdy - but that's a story for another day.

Darnold's next stop was Minnesota, where he finally put it all together. He nearly posted a 3-1 TD/INT ratio, threw for over 4,000 passing yards and led the Vikings to a 14-win season.

That should have been enough to earn Darnold a long-term contract as Minnesota's QB1, but once again he was undervalued - and the Vikings let him leave in free agency, banking on the potential of former Michigan quarterback and first-round pick JJ McCarthy.

And so, Darnold landed with the Seahawks, where he has not only continued performing at the high level we saw in 2024, but has gotten even better. Heading into Week 10 Darnold has to be considered a strong MVP candidate, and is among the league leaders in most meaningful QB stats - including being ranked No. 1 at his position by Pro Football Focus.

Hopefully Seattle's front office avoids making the same mistake as the Jets, Panthers and Vikings and values Darnold as he should be. The team-friendly three-year deal that Darnold signed last offseason was a good starting point, but he's already proven he's worth a significant raise and a contract that makes him their guy at QB for the foreseeable future.

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