What teams has Sam Darnold played for? Why the Jets, Vikings moved on

Sam Darnold has been around the NFL block a few times.

Originally in the running to be the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Darnold slipped to No. 3 after the Cleveland Browns elected to select Baker Mayfield instead. He got by the New York Giants at No. 2, who opted for Saquon Barkley and landed into the waiting arms of the New York Jets, who jumped at the chance to secure a potential franchise quarterback with the third pick.

Darnold's arrival in the Meadowlands was expected to end a dark era for the Jets, one that was filled with losing and mediocrity.

He never panned out for the green-and-white, prompting his exit after the 2020 season. The quarterback made a few more stops along the way before finally settling in the Pacific Northwest as the Seattle Seahawks quarterback, seemingly for years to come.

Here's a look at Darnold's path to Seattle, all the stops he made along the way and why he never managed to stick around in those other places.

What teams did Sam Darnold play for?

Darnold has played for the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks.

The quarterback stepped right into the starting job for the Jets at just 21 years old. He remained the starter for all three seasons, posting a 13-25 record in 38 games. Darnold totaled 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions with Gang Green, completing only 59.8% of passes during his tenure.

New York opted to trade Darnold to the Panthers after the 2020 season and the results weren't much better. He started 17 games in two seasons with the Panthers, finishing with an 8-9 record, 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

At that point, Darnold got to test the free agent waters for the first time and he ended up signing a one-year deal with the 49ers to be a backup.

In what became a learning experience for the quarterback, he spent most of the season on the bench and started the final game of the year when San Francisco decided to rest its starters ahead of the postseason.

Darnold's redemption era began after his time with the Niners. He inked a one-year deal with the Vikings and had a breakout season as the starter after then-rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason.

He started all 17 games and led Minnesota to a 14-3 record. He completed 66.2% of passes, threw 35 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. Darnold's time in Minnesota was marked by a brutal showing in Week 18 and then the wild-card round.

Minnesota opted to move on and Darnold eventually signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seahawks in free agency.

Critics suggested that Darnold could've been a one-year wonder, but he has backed up that breakout year with another solid season for Seattle. Now he'll be looking to put those perceived struggles in big games behind him as the Seahawks hope to make a Super Bowl run.

Why did Sam Darnold leave the Jets?

Darnold simply wasn't good enough during his Jets tenure for the to move forward with him. New York had the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft in what was believed to be a strong quarterback class.

The Jets were sold on Zach Wilson as a prospect and took him with the No. 2 pick. It was a move that, at the time, accomplished multiple goals. The team was able to reset with a new signal caller that they could develop and also reopened the rookie quarterback contract window since Darnold was going to be due for a new contract in the near future.

Given that the team had a new coaching staff coming in, it made sense to put everyone on the same timeline instead of hoping to fix Darnold's shortcomings.

They dealt him to the Panthers ahead of the draft, receiving a package of draft picks that includes a sixth-rounder in 2021 as well as a second and fourth-round pick in 2022.

Why did Sam Darnold leave the Vikings?

Similar to Darnold's departure from the Jets, it was a case of timing.

Minnesota had just invested the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in McCarthy, who was supposed to be the starter. Darnold was thrust into the starting job after the rookie suffered a season-ending knee injury and didn't have any competition behind him.

The quarterback was surrounded with elite talent on offense and a defense that the Vikings could lean on. After his poor performance in Week 18 and the playoffs, the Vikings made the call to see what they had in McCarthy.

Investing a significant amount of money in a backup wasn't feasible, forcing Darnold to seek a new opportunity in free agency.

The Seahawks were a team that was in the position to offer Darnold a chance to start along with some long-term security.

In other words, the timing was finally right.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why did the Jets trade Sam Darnold? List of teams for Seahawks QB