Seahawks Sam Darnold Continues Stunning Rise With No. 21 Ranking on NFL Top 100
Few players have completely rewritten their NFL story the way Sam Darnold has.
The Seattle Seahawks quarterback landed at No. 21 on the 2026 NFL Top 100 list, capping one of the most remarkable career turnarounds the league has seen in recent years. Considering where Darnold’s career stood just a few seasons ago, his appearance just outside the top 20 may be one of the most impressive rankings on the entire list.
Sam Darnold: From Draft Bust Label to Super Bowl Champion
For years, Darnold carried the weight of being viewed as a disappointment.
The former No. 3 overall pick bounced from the New York Jets to the Carolina Panthers before eventually serving as a bridge quarterback and backup. At one point, many wondered whether he would ever become a long-term starter again.
Instead, his career took a dramatic turn. After reviving his value with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, Darnold elevated his game to an entirely different level in Seattle during the 2025 season. Not only did he lead the Seahawks to the NFC’s No. 1 seed, but he also guided the franchise to its second Super Bowl championship.
That’s the kind of résumé players around the league clearly respected when casting votes for the Top 100.
Darnold Played the Best Football of His Career
The ranking isn’t simply about the Super Bowl trophy. Darnold was outstanding throughout the season. Seattle’s offense flourished under his leadership, and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba emerged as one of the league’s most productive offensive players. Darnold consistently delivered explosive plays while operating the offense with a level of efficiency that had been missing earlier in his career.
The version of Darnold that struggled with consistency early in his NFL journey rarely showed up in 2025.
Instead, the Seahawks got a poised, confident quarterback who looked completely comfortable running a championship-caliber offense.
One Flaw Still Remains
Even amid the breakout success, there is still one area where Darnold must improve. According to NFL Pro Insight, Darnold committed a turnover on 7.2 percent of his pressured dropbacks last season, the highest rate in the NFL. That included six interceptions and five lost fumbles when facing pressure.
That’s a number Seattle would like to see decrease moving forward. The reality is that Darnold’s aggression remains a double-edged sword. The same confidence that allows him to make big throws can occasionally lead to costly mistakes when defenses collapse the pocket.
Fortunately for the Seahawks, those turnovers weren’t enough to derail one of the best seasons in franchise history.
Is No. 21 Too Low?
There is a genuine argument that Darnold could have ranked even higher. After all, quarterbacks are generally the most influential players in football, and Darnold was the starting quarterback for a Super Bowl-winning team that earned the conference’s top seed.
Yet his placement at No. 21 may reflect some lingering skepticism from his earlier career as much as his 2025 performance. Players often need multiple elite seasons before they fully shed old perceptions.
If Darnold follows up his championship campaign with another strong season in 2026, a top-10 ranking could easily be in his future.
One of the NFL’s Best Redemption Stories
More than anything, Darnold’s ranking is a reminder that careers aren’t always linear. Many quarterbacks never recover from the “bust” label. Darnold not only escaped it, but completely reversed the narrative surrounding him.
Now he’s a Super Bowl champion, one of the faces of the Seahawks franchise, and the No. 21 player on the NFL Top 100 list.
Not bad for a player many teams had already written off. The journey from struggling former first-round pick to championship quarterback is already one of the NFL’s best comeback stories. With Seattle looking to defend its title, Darnold now has a chance to prove that his remarkable rise is only the beginning.
