Sam Darnold

28-Year-Old QuarterbackQB

Seattle Seahawks

Questionable

Injury Oblique

Est. Return 1/25/2026

Thu Practice: Limited

2024 Pass/Rush Stats

YDS

4048

INT

YDS

2025 Projections

YDS

INT

YDS

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2025 Fantasy Outlook

Darnold finally lived up to what was expected when he was drafted third overall in 2018. He set career highs across the board last season, including 35 TD passes, fifth in the league, as he finished QB9 in fantasy. Darnold’s completion percentage ranked only 16th, but that’s partly because his average target depth was 8.9 yards, fifth highest. In fact, of the 11 QBs whose aDOT topped 8.5 yards, Darnold’s 66.2 completion percentage was higher than all but Lamar Jackson's (66.7 percent). Darnold was excellent throwing deep, leading the league with a 46.7 completion percentage and nine TDs on attempts of 20-plus yards. He had an 18:2 TD:INT in Weeks 11-17, but the Vikings soured when he failed to throw a TD with the NFC North on the line Week 18 and then took nine sacks in the wild-card round. Minnesota let him leave this offseason, opting against a franchise tag and declining to make a competitive offer. Darnold quickly signed a three-year, $100.5 million contract with Seattle, where his struggles under pressure -- 31st in on-target rate under pressure (42.0 percent) -- might be a problem behind a weak offensive line. Seattle’s only OL upgrade was 18th overall pick LG Grey Zabel. Another problem will be life without Justin Jefferson. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the No. 1 target after a 2024 breakout, but he caught just 15 passes when lined up out wide, where he figures to spend more time after the Seahawks traded DK Metcalf and signed Cooper Kupp. New OC Klint Kubiak worked with Darnold in San Francisco in 2023 and figures to create a better gameplan than what Geno Smith dealt with last year, but the overall situation still looks much worse than what Darnold had in Minnesota last year. Read Past Outlooks

RANKS

#166.06

ADP

Overall

Quarterback

Bye Week 8

Height 6'3"

Weight 225

DOB 6/5/1997

College USC

Drafted 1st Rd 2018 #3 Overall

Remains limited Thursday

QBSeattle Seahawks

Oblique

January 22, 2026

Darnold (oblique) was a limited practice participant Thursday.

ANALYSIS
Darnold played through an oblique injury during this past Saturday's divisional-round win against the 49ers, completing 12 of 17 passes for 124 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions while taking two sacks. He's so far logged back-to-back capped sessions this week, but it's unclear if he's thrown any passes, as coach Mike Macdonald told Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune prior to Thursday's practice that he'd like Darnold to do so before Sunday's NFC Championship Game versus the Rams. Darnold will have one more chance to prove his health Friday before the Seahawks potentially give him a designation ahead of the weekend.

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NFL Stats

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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats

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Advanced NFL Stats

How do Sam Darnold's 2024 advanced stats compare to other quarterbacks?

This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.

Bad Pass %

16.7%

Avg Target Depth

9.4 Yds

Sack Rate

8.1%

Avg Receiver YAC

5.1 Yds

Receiver Drop %

3.3%

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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart

Snap Counts

Snap %

Seahawks 2024 QB Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts

G.Geno Smith

S.Sam Howell

#% of Team Snaps

100497%

252%

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#1 QB

Seahawks

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This Week's Opposing Pass Defense

How does the Rams pass defense compare to other NFL teams this season?

The bars represents the team's percentile rank (based on QB Rating Against). The longer the bar, the better their pass defense is.

vs Rams

Sunday, Jan 25th at 6:30PM

Overall QB Rating Against

75.9

Cornerbacks

73.3

Safeties

76.7

Linebackers

80.8

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2024 Sam Darnold Split Stats

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Measurables Review View College Player Page

How do Sam Darnold's measurables compare to other quarterbacks?

This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.

Height

6' 3"

Weight

225 lbs

40-Yard Dash

4.85 sec

Shuttle Time

4.40 sec

Cone Drill

6.96 sec

Vertical Jump

26.5 in

Broad Jump

105 in

Hand Length

9.38 in

Arm Length

31.00 in

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

Darnold signed a one-year deal with the Vikings shortly after Kirk Cousins jumped ship for Atlanta. J.J. McCarthy is Minnesota's QB of the future, but the rookie's season-ending meniscus surgery in August leaves Darnold unchallenged atop the depth chart. Darnold spent last season as the backup to Brock Purdy in San Francisco, where he started one game and finished the season with an unimpressive 6.5 YPA and 60.9 completion percentage -- pretty much in line with his career averages. Darnold at least has excellent weapons to target in wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson, though the latter is coming back from a late-season ACL tear. Free-agent RB Aaron Jones should also help the passing game, but his presence may encourage coach Kevin O'Connell to run the ball more often this season after ranking third in pass percentage last year (63.3). Darnold has never been skilled at throwing deep, and the Vikings gained just 42.8 percent of their passing yards after the catch last season, the lowest rate in the league. Darnold won't add more than 15-20 yards per game on the ground, potentially limiting his fantasy value to two-QB leagues even if Jefferson and Addison help him put up better-than-usual passing numbers.

Darnold started the final six games for the Panthers last season after first losing the starting job to Baker Mayfield in training camp and then suffering an ankle injury that kept him out two months. While he threw only three interceptions, he wasn’t accurate. His 65.0 on-target percentage ranked 38th of 40 QBs with at least 140 attempts, and his 58.6 completion percentage was 36th. He signed a one-year deal with the 49ers this offseason to compete with Trey Lance while Brock Purdy recovers from elbow surgery. Should Darnold get snaps, he’ll have more talent around him than he’s ever had before in his career. He can at least dump the ball off and let the 49ers’ playmakers gobble up yards after the catch, as they did last year when they led the league with 6.6 YAC per reception. Darnold is also a capable scrambler, good for about 15-20 yards per game, potentially giving him value in two-QB leagues if he ends up making starts for a loaded Niners team.

The hope was that a change of scenery would do Darnold some good, but his play in Carolina last season mirrored his play in New York. In 12 games with the Panthers, his numbers were virtually the same as in 12 games the year before with the Jets. Darnold's completion rate, on- target rate and YPA were each bottom 4 in the league, while his 3.2 percent INT rate was third highest. On downfield attempts, he ranked 28th in on-target rate (40.5 percent) and last in YPA (8.3). The Panthers made no secret of their desire to upgrade the position, drafting Matt Corral in the third round and later trading for Baker Mayfield. The team still gave Darnold a shot this summer, but Mayfield ultimately won the job battle and was named the Week 1 starter before the third preseason game.

Darnold put the final nail in his Jets coffin last year with a season that was among the worst in the league for QBs. His completion percentage (59.6) and on-target percentage (67.0) both placed third lowest in the league, and his 6.1 YPA was fourth lowest. In 12 games, Darnold topped 200 yards passing just four times, and he was one of four qualified QBs with more INTs than TD passes. On attempts of 20-plus yards, Darnold's 34.2 percent on-target rate ranked last. The list goes on (and on). No surprise, the Jets' new regime cleaned house, sending Darnold to Carolina. The Panthers still see enough in Darnold that they gave up second-, fourth- and sixth-round draft picks to acquire him and picked up his fifth-year option. Darnold has a strong arm, good mobility and can thrown on the run, and perhaps the issues holding him back — namely, poor decision-making and pocket presence — can be overcome with a better coaching staff and a better supporting cast than he ever had in New York. Head coach Matt Rhule and OC Joe Brady's offense should play to Darnold's strengths, using boots and play-action to get him on the move. Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore and former Jets teammate Robby Anderson give Darnold three big-play targets, and the team signed TE Dan Arnold in March. Plus, there's much less pressure on Darnold in Carolina than there was in the media spotlight of New York, where he was heralded as the franchise savior after being drafted third overall in 2018. In two-QB leagues, Darnold looks like a decent gamble.

It might not be make-or-break, but Darnold enters his third NFL season with big expectations. The Jets are counting on his second year in coach Adam Gase's offense going more smoothly than last year when an early season bout with mononucleosis cost him three games. It took Darnold some time to get on track once he returned as he threw nine interceptions (to five TDs) in his first four games back. But in the second half of the season he made great strides, throwing 13 touchdowns and four interceptions and increasing his YPA by more than a yard (7.3 vs. 6.2) over the first half as the Jets went 6-2. If Darnold is to take the next step, though, he has to improve his deep-ball accuracy. Last season, he completed only 25.0 percent of his attempts longer than 20 yards, 29th of 32 qualified QBs. His 9.2 YPA on those throws was 26th. He also was ineffective on play action, ranking 29th in YPA, 31st in completion percentage and last in passer rating. Perhaps he'll get more time behind a rebuilt offensive line after taking 33 sacks in 13 games last year. The Jets signed three linemen and drafted 6-7, 364-pound LT Mekhi Becton 11th overall. Darnold, whose fantasy upside is capped by a lack of rushing, lost field-stretcher Robby Anderson in free agency, but the Jets signed Breshad Perriman and drafted WR Denzel Mims, who boasts both size (6-3) and speed (4.38 40). With the exception of Kyler Murray, the 23-year-old Darnold is still younger than every projected starting quarterback this season, including No. 1 pick Joe Burrow. Even so, with the division as wide open as it's been in years, it's go time for Darnold.

Picked third overall in last year's draft, Darnold walked into an ugly situation with the Jets and created legitimate cause for optimism by year's end. His final stat line was not much to look at, and he only won four of his 13 starts, but a strong connection with deep-threat Robby Anderson sparked an impressive three-week stretch in December. The Jets also got a surprisingly effective season from rookie tight end Chris Herndon, then in the offseason spent big money on running back Le'Veon Bell and slot receiver Jamison Crowder. With Anderson and Quincy Enunwa also returning, Darnold has a much better situation for his second NFL campaign. The offensive line is somewhat less encouraging, but a trade for guard Kelechi Osemele at least provides hope for modest improvement. Better blocking would go a long way, considering Darnold lived up to his aggressive reputation by ranking 11th in average depth of target (9.0) as a rookie. He's no dink-and-dunk game manager, but while he has the ability to move around and throw his receivers open, Darnold doesn't possess the type of elusiveness that would allow him to thrive as a downfield passer behind a shaky line. Of course, he may be forced into safe, high-percentage throws under new coach Adam Gase, who favored the short passing game in Miami.

Darnold was viewed as a candidate for the No. 1 overall selection in April's draft, but when he fell to the third spot, the Jets were happy to scoop him up with the hope that he might emerge as a franchise savior. Though the Jets re-signed their primary starter from 2017 (Josh McCown) and brought in another accomplished signal-caller in free agency in Teddy Bridgewater, Darnold was given the opportunity to compete for the top job in training camp and quickly made a positive impression in practices and exhibition play. The Jets have yet to officially announce their plans for Week 1, but the team's decision to trade Bridgewater to the Saints on Aug. 29 likely opens the door for Darnold to begin the season as the team's starter. At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Darnold brings ideal size to the position along with a strong arm and good mobility. He can improvise to extend plays and throw accurately on the run, but the knock on him is two-fold: his windup delivery and ball security. Some scouts believe Darnold probably has enough velocity to overcome the extra release time caused by the delivery, but he'll need to improve his decision making to address the latter concern. During his final year at USC, Darnold was responsible for 22 turnovers, including nine lost fumbles.

More Fantasy News

Limited at Wednesday's practice

QBSeattle Seahawks

Oblique

January 21, 2026

Darnold (oblique) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

ANALYSIS
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To be 'day-to-day' this week

QBSeattle Seahawks

Oblique

January 19, 2026

Coach Mike Macdonald said Monday that Darnold (oblique) will be "day-to-day" this week, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reports.

ANALYSIS
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Effective despite injury

QBSeattle Seahawks

January 17, 2026

Darnold completed 12 of 17 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 41-6 divisional-round win over the 49ers.

ANALYSIS
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Looks prepared to start

QBSeattle Seahawks

January 17, 2026

Darnold (oblique) took all of the reps with the starting offense during warmups for the Seahawks prior to Saturday's divisional-round game against the 49ers, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

ANALYSIS
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Active Saturday

QBSeattle Seahawks

January 17, 2026

Darnold (oblique) is listed as active Saturday against the 49ers.

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Latest Fantasy Rumors

Makes it through win unscathed

QBSeattle Seahawks

January 17, 2026

Darnold, who was a game-time decision for Saturday's divisional-round win over the 49ers, said after the game that he felt "great," Gregg Bell of The News Tribune reports.

ANALYSIS
Darnold made it through the game without issue, completing 12 of 17 passes for 124 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. The veteran signal-caller had the luxury of a return touchdown by Rashid Shaheed and dominant performances from both Kenneth Walker and the team's vaunted defense to take the pressure off, but Darnold appeared to throw without issue and accurately when he did drop back.

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