Sam Darnold has at last tasted success. On Sunday, he won his first-ever Super Bowl championship with the Seattle Seahawks. The NFC franchise overpowered the Patriots in a 29-13 game after maintaining a marginal lead till the third quarter.

But it was place kicker Jason Myers and the defence unit who carried the game. If anything, Darnold fell short. He threw the first and only touchdown of the game to AJ Barner in the fourth quarter. And he completed only 19 out of 38 passes for 202 yards.

Sam Darnold Is a Champion

After traipsing through the New York Jets and the Carolina Panthers, he had a tough time in the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings. 

Landing a contract with the Seahawks in 2025 saved his career. But is Darnold a stand-out, once-in-a-lifetime kind of talent like his peers?

Despite a championship ring, Darnold is still behind Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson on the stat sheet. While Darnold equalled Allen with 25 passing TDs for 4,048 yards, Allen was more efficient. Josh Allen reached that number within 3,668 yards.

Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson threw 21 passing TDs within just 2,549 yards. Darnold falls further behind when looking at the career stats. While Allen has notched 220 passing TDs across 30,102 yards, and Jackson has notched 187 across 22,608, Darnold has 117 after 20,431 yards.

Even beyond the stats, Allen and Jackson have been the central force of their respective franchises. 

Let’s Start With Josh Allen

Josh Allen has put together some stellar seasons, carrying his team on several occasions. Take the 2020 season, for example, when he scored 37 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions for 4,544 yards.

Although Allen's performance took a hit this season, he became the MVP in 2024. After firing Sean McDermott, owner Terry Pegula said the team needed to "next level," implying McDermott's leadership was the barrier to the Bills winning the Super Bowl rather than Allen's capability.

The team was eliminated in four out of five postseason appearances, but the belief is that Allen would change it.

Allen even held himself accountable for the franchise’s failure because the team depends on him. And it was reported that Allen was deeply involved in the franchise’s hunt for a new coach.

Then there's Jackson Lamar

The elite QB is a dual threat with his passing and rushing abilities. And although he hasn’t won the Lombardi Trophy, the Baltimore Ravens revolve around Lamar. 

The franchise reportedly decided to let go of John Harbaugh after tension between him and Jackson wouldn’t die down and started affecting the locker room.

In 2024, Lamar proved his value to the Ravens with a career-best performance, notching 41 touchdowns for 4,172 yards. 

Meanwhile, between 2020 and 2022, Sam Darnold recorded only 27 touchdowns collectively. That being said, Darnold was instrumental to the Seahawks' Super Bowl 60-winning campaign.

He is also the only champion from the 2018 quarterback class, and he won after many turbulent years.

Read more at the Cleveland Browns Community!

Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi