Sam Darnold’s career timeline: How many teams did the Vikings QB play for and NFL earnings

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

The 27-year-old point guard from Minnesota has struggled somewhat early in his career, failing to live up to the lofty expectations placed on a first-round quarterback. However, in 2024, Darnold’s career is experiencing a major resurgence and could potentially even get into the MVP conversation when his Vikings post a 4-0 record in Week 5.

While Darnold is now considered a veteran, it seems like not too long ago he was a young quarterback trying to find his rhythm in New York’s high-pressure environment. Darnold didn’t have much success in his first few seasons, but after a brief stint as a backup, he’s now found a starting role 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 a look at the quarterback’s career so far 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, this does not include his redshirt season as a true freshman in 2015.

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

The following season, Darnold gained early Heisman Trophy interest but wasn’t as dominant. However, he still led the Trojans to an appearance in the Cotton Bowl.

Quickly becoming one of the top quarterback prospects in the country, Darnold showed almost everything an NFL franchise wants in a starting quarterback: size, arm strength, accuracy and IQ. While his athleticism never jumped to the forefront, his pocket presence did.

Darnold finished his two 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 performed in each of his two college seasons.

Sam Darnold’s college stats

Year	Record	comp. %	Enter yards	Let the tank destroyers pass	INT	Rate
2015*	—	—	—	—	—	—
2016	9-1	67.2%	3086	31	9	161.1
2017	11-3	63.1%	4143	26	13	148.1
Total	20-4	64.9%	7229	57	22	153.7

*Darnold redshirted during the 2015 season.

Sam Darnold’s draft class

After consecutive seasons of stellar play at USC, Darnold announced he would enter the 2018 NFL Draft and immediately became one of the top prospects available.

In NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein’s prospect analysis, Darnold was praised for his size, accuracy, balance and arm strength, compared to Andrew Luck and projected to be a top-three pick. Zierlein also wrote that an “early season on the bench” could be beneficial for Darnold to better prepare coverage before starting, but he was still a solid starter on his floor.

“Darnold has the tools to operate in any system and does not need to have perfect protection to be successful,” Zierlein wrote. “He has what it takes to be one of the best quarterbacks in the game as he gains more experience.”

The hype around Darnold turned out to be true on draft day when the Jets selected him with the third overall pick, hoping he would become their next franchise quarterback. He was drafted after Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley, but before future superstars like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.

Here’s a look at all the quarterbacks selected in the 2018 NFL Draft.

QB in the 2018 NFL Draft

Round	To choose	Team	Player	College
1	1	Brown	Baker Mayfield	Oklahoma
1	3	Nozzles	Sam Darnold	USC
1	7	Bills	Josh Allen	Wyoming
1	10	Cardinals	Josh Rosen	University of California
1	32	Ravens	Lamar Jackson	Louisville
3	76	Steel workers	Mason Rudolph	State of Oklahoma
4	108	Giants	Kyle Lauletta	Richmond
5	171	Cowboys	Mike White	Western Kentucky
6	199	Titans	Łukasz Falk	Washington State
6	203	Jaguars	Tanner Lee	Nebraska
7	219	Patriots	Danny Etling	LSU
7	220	Seahawks	Alex McGough	WHEW
7	249	Bengals	Logan Woodside	Toledo

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How many teams did Sam Darnold play for?

Darnold played for four NFL franchises during his career:

New York Jets
Carolina Panthers
San Francisco 49ers
Minnesota Vikings

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

Since signing a one-year contract with the Vikings last offseason, Darnold has been doing great.

Jets (2018-2020)

Darnold started his career with the Jets. He was the team’s Week 1 starter from the jump, becoming the youngest starting quarterback on Opening Day since the AFL-NFL merger. Darnold’s first career pass was a pick-six against the Lions, but New York won the game.

In his rookie season, Darnold had a career-high 15 interceptions and also missed three games. He had some highlights, including 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 sophomore year, Darnold again turned in some solid performances, including a 338-yard game in a Week 6 win over the Cowboys as the Jets improved on their previous record to 7-9. However, not making the playoffs was still a disappointing result for New York. Darnold’s overall numbers were respectable (3,024 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 84.3 ratings), but not as impressive as the Jets hoped when they chose him third overall.

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

Panthers (2021-2022)

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

After some success early in the season, Darnold suffered a shoulder injury and was placed on infrared. Before returning to the field, Cam Newton, making his second stint with the Panthers, earned split playing time at quarterback, limiting the impact of Darnold, who finished with nine passing touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 2021. Carolina went 5-12.

Darnold did not start as the team’s starter at quarterback in 2022. Mayfield, who was also looking for a career resurgence at the time and would later find it in Tampa Bay, was the Panthers’ QB1, and a preseason injury sidelined Darnold anyway. However, when he returned to the game, he started and had one of the best periods of his career up to that point. In the final stretch of the game, Carolina Darnold led the team to a 4-2 record, throwing for 1,143 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.

However, the Panthers allowed him to leave as a free agent after the season.

49ers (2023)

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

Playing for a San Francisco team known for honing good pocket passes, Darnold had the opportunity to watch from the sidelines and learn as the 49ers ran to the Super Bowl. As Zierlein mentioned years earlier in his prospect ranking, a little “seasoning” seemed to help Darnold thrive as he looked to put past mistakes behind him.

Vikings (2024–present)

In March, Darnold signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Vikings. While Minnesota selected Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy, sparking potential quarterback controversy, the rookie suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason.

Darnold was named the Vikings’ QB1 and has been outstanding so far this season. He recently earned NFC Offensive Player of the Month honors for September, throwing for 932 yards and 11 touchdowns on a 68.9% completion rate in the first four games. Minnesota remains undefeated through Week 4, and Darnold fixed his turnover issues by recording just three interceptions.

Sam Darnold’s career earnings

Because he initially played on a rookie contract and then took advantage of several one-year contracts, Darnold has yet to earn a significant contract in the NFL like some other current starting quarterbacks.

The $10 million deal he signed with the Vikings included $8.75 million guaranteed on 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 $18.858 million club option for 2022 that the Panthers exercised on Darnold.

Spotrac also ranked Darnold 29th 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 continue to play well through the rest of 2024, Darnold will have an opportunity to cash in on it. After the current season, he will become a free agent and may soon be one of the best players available in this 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, according to Spotrac.

Player	Current team	Current AAV
Sam Darnold	Vikings	10 million dollars
Zach Wilson	Bronco	$8.787 million
Trey Lance	Cowboys	$8.526 million
Jacoby Brissett	Patriots	8 million dollars
Taylor Heinicke	Chargers	$7 million
Marek Mariota	Commanders	$6 million
Drew Lock	Giants	5 million dollars
Jarrett Stidham	Bronco	5 million dollars
Andy Dalton	Panthers	5 million dollars
Justin Fields	Steel workers	$4.717 million

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

The Vikings still have McCarthy on standby, which could impact their future plans with Darnold. However, teams in need of a starting option at the quarterback position could show significant interest in Darnold in 2025 if he maintains his stellar play in Minnesota.