Renton, Washington – The last time quarterback Sam Darnold faced the Rams, he was on the wrong side of an emotional breakdown. It was in the playoffs last January, when Darnold was playing for the Minnesota Vikings and the game was moved from SoFi Stadium to Arizona in the wake of devastating wildfires.
Not only did the Rams go 27-9, but Darnold was sacked nine times.
“It’s football, those things happen,” Darnold said, preparing to play the 7-2 Rams on Sunday as the first-year quarterback for the 7-2 Seattle Seahawks. “But yeah, it hurts. I didn’t feel like I gave my best, and a lot of players felt the same way. It was bad for it to happen on that stage, but you learn from it. That’s part of the journey.”
Darnold’s journey has been something of an odyssey, from USC, where he was the third overall pick in the 2018 draft, struggling with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, restarting his career as a reserve in San Francisco — where he watched and learned from coach Kyle Shanahan — and then redefining himself as a winner in Minnesota and now Seattle.
“Obviously the first three years in New York didn’t go the way I wanted,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “In Carolina there were some ups and downs. But I felt like in that last phase [when Darnold was 4-2 as the starter in 2022]We had a winning record and even a chance at the playoffs. This means a lot.
“San Francisco was huge for me. I always watched that offense and thought, ‘Man, guys run wide all the time.’ I wanted to see how Kyle Shanahan and that staff see the football, how they talk coverages and call things up.”
Darnold thought he might have a chance to secure the starting job with the 49ers, but Brock Purdy recovered from an elbow injury and reclaimed his role.
Minnesota hinted, and Darnold hit his stride there. He helped the Vikings to a 14-3 record last season, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns with 12 interceptions, earning Pro Bowl honors.
“Last year was amazing,” he added. “My teammates, my coach, and my now fiancée. We’ve really come to love that city. Minneapolis has become home to us. I learned a lot that season. Even those last two games where things didn’t go our way, the experience was priceless. Those moments pay off on the road.”
The Vikings didn’t use their franchise tag on Darnold, and when Las Vegas traded for Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, Seattle made a successful run with the player who reinvented himself in Minnesota. Darnold signed a three-year, $100.5 million contract with the Seahawks.
“Coming to Seattle means a lot,” Darnold said. “For them to trust me with the ball in my hand every game, I will never take that for granted.”
This season he has 17 touchdowns, six interceptions and a high passer rating of 116.5.
“As a quarterback, you try not to think about it, but a lot of jobs in an organization can depend on what you do on Sundays,” he said. “That’s a responsibility, and that’s something I really respect. The trust they’ve shown me means the world.”