Field Gulls on Sam Darnold

ArticleNFL Top 100 Players: Seahawks’ Sam Darnold soars to 21 after Super Bowl win
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No. 21 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026…@Seahawks QB Sam Darnold! Darnold came in at 21, making a 51-spot jump from last years ranking, with glowing endorsements from some of the best defenders in the league, including Byron Murphy II who said, "Top five quarterback in the league. And not five either." Derek Stingley, Houston Texans star and one of the best cornerbacks in the league, had this to say about Darnold, "Nothing seems to rattle him. Like, if he has pressure in his face, it seems like he still somehow makes the right throw."
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Darnold jumps 51 spots to No. 21 on Top 100 with elite defender endorsements.

Darnold ranked No. 21 on the 2026 NFL Top 100 Players list, a 51-spot jump from his 2025 ranking. He finished 2025 ranked fifth in passing yards (4,048), fifth in DVOA, tied for ninth in touchdown passes, and tied for fourth in game-winning drives. Multiple elite defenders—Byron Murphy II, Derek Stingley, and Grey Zabel—provided glowing endorsements, with Murphy II calling him a "top five quarterback in the league," Stingley praising his composure under pressure ("Nothing seems to rattle him"), and Zabel stating "That's a guy you want to go to war for and protect him at all costs." By player estimation, Darnold is the fifth-best quarterback in the league.

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