Sam Darnold career timeline: How many teams Vikings QB has played for and NFL earnings

Through four games with the Vikings in 2024, Sam Darnold is playing the best football of his NFL career.

Minnesota's 27-year-old quarterback went through some struggles throughout his early-career destinations, failing to live up to the lofty expectations placed on a first-round quarterback. But in 2024, Darnold is finding a major career resurgence, potentially even playing his way into MVP talks as his Vikings take a 4-0 record into Week 5.

While Darnold is now considered a veteran, it doesn't seem like long ago that he was a young quarterback trying to find his rhythm in the pressure-filled environment of New York. Darnold didn't find much success over his first few seasons, but after a brief period of playing a backup role, he's now worked his way into a starting job and is making the most of it.

As Darnold continues to lead Minnesota in its quest to win the NFC North this season, here's an overview of the quarterback's football career to this point and how much money he's made along the way.

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Where did Sam Darnold go to college?

Technically, Darnold spent just two seasons at USC. However, that's not including his redshirt season as a true freshman in 2015.

In 2016, he took over the starting quarterback job for the Trojans just four games into the season. It was a job he'd never lose. With Darnold at the helm that season, USC lost just one game. In his redshirt freshman year, Darnold set the program record for most touchdown passes by a freshman with 26, earning the 2016 Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year and leading USC to a 52-49 win over Penn State in the Rose Bowl. 

The next season, Darnold drew buzz for the Heisman Trophy early in the season, but he wasn't quite as dominant. However, he still led the Trojans to an appearance in the Cotton Bowl.

As he quickly became one of the top quarterback prospects in the country, Darnold showcased nearly everything an NFL franchise seeks in a rookie quarterback: Size, arm strength, accuracy, and IQ. While his athleticism never jumped off the page, his pocket presence did.

Darnold finished his two non-redshirt seasons at USC with a 20-4 record, over 7,000 passing yards, and 57 passing touchdowns. Below is a full look at how Darnold fared in each of his two seasons in college.

Sam Darnold's college stats

*Darnold redshirted during the 2015 season.

Sam Darnold draft class

After back-to-back seasons of standout play at USC, Darnold announced he'd be entering the 2018 NFL Draft, and he immediately became one of the top prospects available.

In NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein's prospect breakdown, Darnold was praised for his size, accuracy, poise, and arm strength, drew a comparison to Andrew Luck, and was projected to be a top-three selection. Zierlein also wrote that "early sideline seasoning" might be beneficial for Darnold in order for him to process coverages better before he starts, but at his floor, he was still a solid starter.

"Darnold has the tools to thrive in any system and doesn't have to have perfect protection to succeed," Zierlein wrote. "He has the ceiling to be one of the top-tier quarterbacks in the game as he gains more experience."

The hype surrounding Darnold rang true on draft day, as the Jets took him with the third overall pick with hopes that he'd become their next franchise quarterback. He was selected after Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley but ahead of future superstars like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.

Here's a look at all of the quarterbacks taken in the 2018 NFL Draft.

2018 NFL Draft QBs

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How many teams has Sam Darnold played for?

Darnold has played for four NFL franchises in his career:

• New York Jets
• Carolina Panthers
• San Fransisco 49ers
• Minnesota Vikings

After being drafted by New York, Darnold spent a few seasons with the team, later being traded to the Panthers. Darnold started some games with Carolina, but dealt with injuries and became a backup at some points. He signed a one-year deal to be a backup for the 49ers in 2023.

Since signing a one-year deal with the Vikings in the most recent offseason, Darnold has been on a roll.

Jets (2018-2020)

Darnold began his career with the Jets. He was the team's Week 1 starter right from the jump, becoming the youngest opening-day starting quarterback since the AFL-NFL merger. Darnold's first career pass was a pick-six against the Lions, but New York won the game.

Over his rookie season, Darnold threw 15 interceptions, which remains his career high, and he missed three games. He did have some high points, like three touchdown passes in a win over Denver, but turnover issues and a low completion percentage (57.7 percent) limited Darnold in his first NFL season. The Jets went 4-12.

In his second year, Darnold again had some solid performances, like a 338-yard game in a win over the Cowboys in Week 6, and the Jets improved on their previous record by going 7-9. Missing the playoffs was still a disappointing result for New York, though. Darnold's overall numbers were decent (3,024 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 84.3 rating) but not quite as impressive as the Jets had hoped when they made him the third overall pick.

The 2020 season was Darnold's last in a Jets uniform. The team took major steps back, finishing 2-14, and the quarterback threw more interceptions (11) than touchdown passes (9) in his 12 games played. A lack of team success and issues with interceptions ultimately influenced the Jets' decision to move on from Darnold, as they turned toward veteran Joe Flacco and their new first-round selection, Zach Wilson.

Panthers (2021-2022)

Darnold was traded to Carolina in April 2021, and he made his first start for the Panthers against his former Jets team later that year. Recording 279 passing yards and two total touchdowns, he led Carolina to a win. 

After seeing some early-season success, Darnold went down with a shoulder injury and was placed on IR. By the time he returned to the field, Cam Newton, who was in his second stint with the Panthers, had earned split playing time at quarterback, limiting Darnold's impact as he finished with nine passing touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 2021. Carolina went 5-12.

In 2022, Darnold didn't open as the team's starter at quarterback. Mayfield, also then seeking a career resurgence that he would later find in Tampa Bay, was the Panthers' QB1, and a preseason injury left Darnold sidelined anyway. When he returned to action, though, he started and had one of the best stretches of his career to that point. Over Carolina's final stretch, Darnold led the team to a 4-2 record while throwing for 1,143 yards and seven touchdowns against three interceptions. 

However, the Panthers let him walk as a free agent after the season. 

49ers (2023)

Darnold signed a one-year deal with San Fransisco in March 2023. He backed up Brock Purdy throughout the season, only starting in the final game of the regular season once the 49ers had nothing left to play for. In that game, he had 189 passing yards, a passing touchdown, and a rushing score in a loss.

Playing for a San Fransisco team known for developing strong pocket passers though, Darnold got an opportunity to observe from the sidelines and learn as the 49ers went on a run to the Super Bowl. As Zierlein mentioned in his prospect breakdown years earlier, some "sideline seasoning" seemed to help Darnold's development as he looked to put his past mistakes behind him.

Vikings (2024-present)

In March, Darnold signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Vikings. While Minnesota did draft Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, creating a potential quarterback controversy, the rookie endured a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. 

Darnold was named QB1 for the Vikings, and so far this season, he's been excellent. He recently earned NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September, throwing for 932 yards and 11 touchdowns on 68.9-percent completion percentage through his first four games. Minnesota remains undefeated through Week 4, and Darnold has cleaned up his turnover issues, throwing just three interceptions.

Sam Darnold career earnings

Because he was originally playing on a rookie contract before cashing in on a few one-year deals, Darnold hasn't yet earned a significant contract in the NFL like some other current starting quarterbacks have. 

The $10 million deal he signed with the Vikings included $8.75 million guaranteed, per Spotrac. The site also estimates his career earnings at just over $65 million, most of which came from the first year of his rookie contract with the Jets and the 2022 club option worth $18.858 million that the Panthers exercised on Darnold.

Spotrac also has Darnold ranked No. 29 in career earnings among active NFL quarterbacks, just behind names like Geno Smith, Jalen Hurts, and Trevor Lawrence but ahead of names like Jacoby Brissett, Zach Wilson, and Mitchell Trubisky.

If he can maintain his strong play throughout the rest of 2024, Darnold will have an opportunity to cash in on it. He's set to become a free agent after the current season and could soon be one of the best players available at the position.

Here's a look at the top 10 quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL free agent class based on their average annual value (AAV) in 2024, per Spotrac.

While Fields has also impressed early in 2024 and will hit the open market after this season, Darnold could potentially be the top player available at the position next offseason.

The Vikings still have McCarthy waiting in the wings, which could affect their future plans with Darnold. However, teams in need of a starting option at quarterback could be showing a lot of interest in Darnold in 2025 if he maintains his outstanding play for Minnesota.