4 QBs Who Could Be the Next Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold just completed the ultimate reclamation this past weekend, winning the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.
It’s a far cry from where his career stood just a couple years ago when he was mostly known for “seeing ghosts” with the New York Jets before becoming a primary backup QB for both the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers.
Now, after starting his comeback with the Minnesota Vikings last season with a 14-3 record and a playoff berth, Darnold is now standing on the football mountaintop. But could there be other QBs set to follow a similar trajectory in the next few years?
Mac Jones
Mac Jones feels like the most obvious choice of this bunch right now. He is heading into free agency this offseason after spending a season with the San Francisco 49ers; the exact position Darnold was in before he headed to Minnesota.
After being selected with the 15th overall pick in 2021, Jones had one solid season with the New England Patriots, which just so happened to be his rookie year. Since then, Jones has not surpassed thresholds of 3000 yards or 20 touchdowns in a season.
However, we may have seen a bit of a turning point with Jones with the 49ers this year. In eight starts, San Francisco went 5-3, and he completed a career high 69.6% of his passes while averaging nearly 269 passing yards per game in those starts. Stretched to 17 games, that pace would have given him about 4571 yards, which would have ranked second in the NFL behind only MVP Matthew Stafford.
Now Jones is set to hit free agency to try and get a full-time starting job somewhere. If he lands in a competent organization with a solid structure in place, he could easily be the next QB to follow the Darnold path.
Tua Tagovailoa
The Miami Dolphins seem to be on the verge of giving up on Tua Tagovailoa after another losing season in which the offense scuffled mightily. Or, maybe new faces on the coaching staff could be what Tua needs to revive his career with the Dolphins.
There certainly is talent within Tua, especially when we think back to that 2023 campaign in which he led then NFL with 4624 passing yards, threw 29 touchdowns, and completed 69.3% of his passes while leading Miami to a playoff berth.
It’s been a long fall since that point, and in 2025, he was benched for Quinn Ewers.
The problem with projecting a ton of success with Tua moving forward is his concussion history. The QB managed to stay clean in 2025, but he has suffered at least four documented concussions to this point in his career. If he is able to stay injury free moving forward, there is a decent chance that he can put together strong football seasons either in Miami or elsewhere, but that is no guarantee at this point.
Zach Wilson
The ties between Darnold and Zach Wilson are undeniable. Both were top five picks by the New York Jets, and both were stuck with a franchise that offered little to no support. Furthermore, Wilson was brought in immediately after the Jets decided they were done with Darnold.
After three failed seasons with the Jets, Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos in the spring of 2024 where he spent the season as a backup in Sean Payton’s offense behind Bo Nix. He was then released last spring and signed by the Miami Dolphins.
Now, Wilson is hitting free agency for the second straight year looking to find his chance to get real reps at the NFL level again. Perhaps two years of being able to sit back and learn have him in a better head space than he was in while with the Jets.
Malik Willis
There’s been some growing hype around Malik Willis’ future in 2026 after filling in for a game against the Chicago Bears and starting against the Baltimore Ravens.
It was for good reason as the former 2022 third-round pick put together some very strong games in those two weeks, completing a ridiculous 27-of-32 passes while throwing for 409 yards and a pair of touchdowns with no interceptions. He also added 19 carries for 104 additional yards and two rushing touchdowns.
That came after a 2024 campaign in which he started two games and played a chunk of the Week 18 game against the Chicago Bears. He was equally sniper-esque with his passing, completing 74.1% of his passes during the year for 550 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also added 20 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown.
Willis comes from a 2022 QB class that is remembered as being one of the worst over the past decade, but maybe he can glimmer of hope that someone from that year’s draft can remain a solid starter after a failed stint with the Tennessee Titans.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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