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ESPN commentator Dan Orlovsky called Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold a top 10 quarterback in the NFL yesterday and said the New York Jets “should be embarrassed to have let him walk out of the building.”
Orlovsky went on to say he’s always believed in Darnold’s talent but his low points gave reason for caution. He commended the Seahawks quarterback’s clutch abilities down the stretch and finished with an extremely reasonable opinion that “Sam Darnold has warranted us to sit back and say, “let’s look at you through the prism of the last two years, rather than the guy that we continue to see under the umbrella of the first 4-5 years of his career.”
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Darnold was drafted 3rd overall by the Jets in 2018, but like many quarterbacks before him, failed to find success at the helm of their offense. The franchise’s longstanding problems didn’t start with him and they haven’t ended in the five years since he left, either, with the Jets in the quarterback market yet again and widely expected to select one with the number two overall pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
The Jets only rode with Darnold for three years, none of which he started more than 13 games in. They shipped him off to the Carolina Panthers in 2021 for a 2nd-, 4th- and 6th-round pick. He struggled in Carolina, too, and had one more stop, spending a year in San Francisco, before finally landing in Minnesota last year. Heck, he only got a chance to finally start in Minnesota because J.J. McCarthy got injured for the entire 2024 season. But once he finally did, he made good on the promise he showed to be drafted 3rd overall in the first place.
The Seahawks got a steal in free agency by investing in Darnold’s unique career path. It’s extremely rare to have a quarterback drafted in the top 3 picks not get at least one full season of starting experience until his seventh year in the league. However, Darnold seems to have grown better than almost any other quarterback through his trials and tribulations- and now 28 years old, he’s got plenty of time to put together a great prime.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks’ QB Sam Darnold called Top 10 at position by ESPN's Orlovsky
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