Seahawks’ Sam Darnold gives 49ers nod for career resurgence

It’s crazy to think how far Sam Darnold’s career has come. Just three years ago, Darnold was considered a bust, a first-round pick gone wrong. Today, the former New York Jets draftee is a Super Bowl champion, helping lead the Seattle Seahawks to their first Super Bowl in over ten years. It’s one of the greatest career turnarounds in league history.

Where was the turning point of Darnold’s career? Well, if you ask the Seahawks quarterback, it’s a stint at one of his current team’s division rivals that helped jumpstart his career. Darnold credits his time with the San Francisco 49ers as a big reason for his improvement as a quarterback.

“I think going to San Francisco — I mean, shoot, you guys saw what Mac Jones did this year,” Darnold said, per Niners Wire. “I understood that quarterbacks in that system, quarterbacks with Kyle — you look at Brock and all the success he’s had there — quarterbacks just thrive in that system.”

Indeed, Shanahan’s 49ers have developed a reputation over the last few years as a quarterback-friendly room. San Francisco’s quarterback development has been truly impressive. Between the success of Jimmy Garoppolo, Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, and most recently, Sam Darnold, Shanahan is proving to be a quarterback whisperer. Unfortunately for the 49ers, it was their division rivals, the Seahawks that reaped the rewards of their development.

After leaving the 49ers, Darnold first joined the Minnesota Vikings in 2024. He found a ton of success under another QB-friendly system in Minnesota, leading his team to a 14-3 record in the competitive NFC North. However, they were eliminated in the first round, leading to doubts about Darnold’s improvement after his struggles. He immediately proved the doubters wrong with the Seahawks, leading one of the best offenses in the league and minimizing his mistakes en route to the Super Bowl.

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