In the event you spend anytime on-line watching or listening to nationwide analysts rating and explaining quarterback rankings, you’ll most likely have famous that the place to putSeattle Seahawks beginning quarterback Sam Darnold is a blended bag. He’s typically put within the prime 10 quarterbacks, and is often between seven to 10, like on NFL.com, however that’s the minority. Most of the time, he’s ranked between 12 to twenty like on ESPN. Per Gregg Rosenthal, he’s the thirteenth ranked quarterback. With such a disparity in the place to put the Tremendous Bowl successful quarterback, the query stays: is Darnold a prime 10 quarterback? That’s what we’ll attempt to reply at present.
There is no such thing as a doubting that the start of Sam Darnold’s profession was a rocky one. Drafted by the New York Jets, he was tasked with working the Peyton Manning-style offense with Adam Gase, which is analogous to giving a university textbook to a center faculty pupil and ask them to completely understand it. Evidently, there can be bumps alongside the highway. He averaged round 2,700 passing yards, 13 interceptions and 15 touchdowns a season, with a median completion fee of 59.8% and a passer score of 78.63 in his three-year stint with the Jets. That’s not good, particularly being the third total decide within the 2018 draft.
In his subsequent cease with the Carolina Panthers, Matt Rhule tried to implement his school offense with Darnold below middle. Any Seahawk followers remembering the Ryan Grubb offense in 2024, or watching the Chip Kelly offense with the Las Vegas Raiders final season, can let you know that school offenses don’t work out all that effectively within the NFL. Darnold began 12 video games in his first 12 months with the Panthers, and 6 video games the following season. He threw for a complete of 3670 yards, 15 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, with a completion share of 59.5% and a passer score of 76.64. He appeared to be regressing, and many of the nationwide media seemingly gave up on Sam Darnold.
These have been the statistics from his first two NFL stints, and he spent a 12 months being the backup to Brock Purdy with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023. He lastly acquired his alternative to begin once more with the Vikings, then acquired a long run contract with the Seahawks in 2025. These final two seasons, Darnold led his groups to 14-3 common seasons, the one quarterback to take action in again to again seasons whereas taking part in for 2 totally different groups. He additionally grew to become the primary College of Southern California quarterback to ever win a Tremendous Bowl.
There is no such thing as a doubting that the final two seasons have been good for Darnold, however does his efficiency elevate him to a prime ten quarterback? To reply this query, I took a take a look at 34 beginning quarterbacks the final two seasons. I checked out their stats, particularly at their passing yards, makes an attempt, completions, completion share, touchdowns, and interceptions. From that, I used Professional Soccer Reference’s passer score calculator to calculate the quarterbacks passer score. If they didn’t play all 17 common season video games, I calculated their stats for that season to see what they might have been if that they had performed all 17 video games that season. I then averaged their stats from 2024 and 2025 collectively to get a median statistical take a look at their efficiency. That approach, each quarterback was on a fair taking part in subject and at their peak efficiency.
The highest 10 quarterbacks based mostly on this calculation of their passer score are as follows:
1. Lamar Jackson: 112.032. Jared Goff: 108.83. Joe Burrow: 105.114. Josh Allen: 102.015. Sam Darnold: 100.946. Drake Maye: 100.817. Matthew Stafford: 100.88. Jalen Hurts: 100.369. Baker Mayfield: 98.7110. Jordan Love: 98.48
Over the previous two seasons, Darnold ranked seventh in passing yards with a median of 4184, tenth in completion share at 66.9, seventh in touchdowns with a median of 30 per season, and tied with Patrick Mahomes at eighth in interceptions with a two-year common 13. Total, he was the fifth ranked quarterback on common over the past two season by these statistics.
Funnily sufficient, Professional Soccer Community additionally has Darnold as their fifth ranked quarterback from 2025 based mostly on their grading scale, simply behind Jordan Love at fourth, Brock Purdy at third, Matthew Stafford at second, and Drake Maye at first. Simply behind Darnold to spherical out the highest 10 are Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Daniel Jones, Josh Allen, then Joe Burrow.
Per Seahawk Nerd, that they had Darnold within the prime 10 in Bathroom Boy Quarterbacking with Anticipated Factors Added (EPA) and success fee adjusted for anticipated Yards After Catch (YAC) used to calculate the perfect throwers of the soccer within the league. Of their phrases, “EPA is great for capturing the explosiveness of big plays, and success rate is great for measuring how consistently the offense stays on schedule. Together, they provide a framework for assessing the two main goals of NFL quarterbacking.” The graph beneath reveals the outcomes.
Per Professional Soccer Focus, Darnold was of their prime 5 most clutch quarterbacks, rating fourth. Prescott ranked first, then Stafford and Jackson. Mark Chichester famous that Darnold this previous season rated excessive in a number of quarterback stats “including accurate throw rate (73.3%, third), negatively graded play rate (8.9%, fifth) and yards per attempt (8.4, fifth),” whereas solely having a 0.89 % turnover-worthy play fee.
Brian Nemhauser created a instrument to guage gamers, and per his instrument Darnold is the eighth ranked quarterback out of 45. As famous on the graph beneath from the instrument, Darnold charges excessive in passing statistics, and never as excessive in speeding stats. My very own calculations again this, as I’ve him ranked twenty fourth in common speeding yards common of 154 speeding yards, and tied for eighth in common speeding touchdowns with one. I might argue, nevertheless, he does sufficient along with his legs to keep away from sacks, and is ready to scramble and get the primary down if wanted, averaging 17 runs for first downs the final two seasons and three.4 yards per carry all through his profession. His longest run went for 46 yards, along with his longest from 2025 was for twenty-four yards. Whereas utilizing his legs to get yards might not be his greatest instrument in his toolbox, he has the instruments that depend essentially the most for having a protracted profession as a beginning quarterback within the NFL: arm expertise.
Based mostly on the analytics talked about above, Darnold ought to be thought of a prime 10 quarterback within the league. He is among the most correct throwers of the ball, one of many prime huge time passers within the league, and a Tremendous Bowl champion. He additionally has the backing of his teaching employees and locker room, successful over teammates from each the offensive and defensive facet of the ball.
In playoff recreation statistics, which many critics held because the objective submit to show them improper, he did that and extra. Over the past two seasons he has one interception and one fumble (each with the Vikings), a completion share of 61.8%, and a passer score of 102.4 in 2025. He didn’t flip the ball over as soon as within the playoffs with the Seahawks. On the most important levels, Darnold gained, performed clear video games, and lifted the Lombardi Trophy.
I consider it’s protected to say for almost all of individuals, these first six years actually left an imprint on their view of Darnold. First impressions are onerous to beat, however in my e-book, he has achieved simply that. The person who as soon as noticed ghosts has develop into The Ghostbuster.
