Sam Darnold’s Super Bowl ring apparently didn’t buy him much leverage in the latest NFL quarterback rankings.
Bleacher Report’s new 2026 list slotted the Seattle Seahawks quarterback at No. 15, placing him in the “high-quality starter” range. That puts him behind San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy at No. 10 and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, while Nix checks in at No. 11.
The ranking system weighs quarterbacks across six categories: accuracy, processing, arm talent, decision-making, pocket presence and leadership. Accuracy carries 25 points, processing gets 20, and arm talent, decision-making, pocket presence and leadership are weighted at 15, 15, 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Bleacher Report acknowledged that Darnold “has revived his career over the last two seasons and proved that 2024 was not a fluke season” and “helped lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship.” Even so, the site still wasn’t ready to push him much higher.
“Although he won a Super Bowl, that does not vault him to the top of the quarterback pyramid,” Bleacher Report notes. “Darnold has thrown 26 interceptions in two seasons. His decision-making under pressure and lack of ball protection are holding him back from leapfrogging his counterparts.”
For Seahawks fans, that’s a tough one to swallow. Darnold won the Super Bowl in his first season in Seattle, and the source material frames him as the face of the franchise now. But in this ranking, the championship hardware wasn’t enough to move him into the league’s top tier.
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