RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sources
Former USC Trojan quarterback Sam Darnold had his resurrection season in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings. He played like an MVP candidate. Many thought that after leaving Minnesota, the Seattle Seahawks would not get the same version of Darnold. The former Trojan built on that great year and led the Seattle Seahawks to a dominant season, capping it with a Super Bowl victory.
In a recent article , Jeremy Bergman highlights former USC Trojan Sam Darnold cracking the top 100 NFL players list at No. 21. Here is what he had to say about this unexpected sighting of Sam Darnold:
" Look at us. Who would've thought? The unlikeliest of top-25 appearances comes from the now-reigning Super Bowl champion QB from Seattle. Once seen as a bust after going from No. 3 pick to journeyman signal-caller, Darnold broke through with Minnesota in 2024 and then enjoyed an all-time campaign with the Seahawks in 2025. The QB led Seattle to the No. 1 seed, threw Jaxon Smith-Njigba into OPOY territory and played the most efficient football of his life en route to leading the Seahawks to their second Lombardi. Darnold still has issues with turnovers, but when the turnaround is so profound, you'll forgive a fumble here and there."
Sam Darnold is still one of the more underappreciated quarterbacks in the league even after his Super Bowl run with the Seattle Seahawks. Many expected his play to regress after he left what was a perfect situation in Minnesota to join some uncertainty on offense with the Seattle Seahawks. His play did not diminish, and if anything, he killed all old narratives about his play in the clutch. Darnold definitely did what he needed to do to earn more respect, and with his ranking being so high on the players list, it seems his doubters are not his peers.
Contact/Follow @TrojansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of USC Trojans news, notes and opinion .
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC's Sam Darnold wins over his peers with continued NFL excellence
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.