The Seattle Seahawks clinched the spot to play at the Super Bowl 60 after defeating the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field.
But many noticed that those linked to the New York Jets faced an unanswerable question: what if the Jets did not trade Sam Darnold?
What Jets Players Said About the Sam Darnold Trade?
The world saw Darnold, who was sacked 9 times in a single playoff game in January 2025 while playing for the Minnesota Vikings, help the Seahawks get into the Super Bowl matchup on Feb. 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
They felt genuine happiness for him, especially with his winding NFL journey now becoming a major storyline ahead of Super Bowl LX, but it also served as a tough reminder for the veteran scout of what might have been.
Many were highly critical of their former head coach, Adam Gase and his decision to part ways with Darnold.
“He showed flashes; that’s why [the trade] didn’t make sense,” former Jets safety Jamal Adams said. “Our head coach that we hired [Adam Gase] didn’t really help us out now. He did not help us out. Sometimes you look back like ‘Golly!’ We had Sam Darnold in our hands, and now he’s going to the Super Bowl.'”
The Jets traded Darnold in 2021 mainly because his time with the team didn’t pan out the way both sides had hoped, and the franchise decided it was time to reset at quarterback.
Darnold was drafted 3rd overall by the Jets in 2018 with the expectation he’d be the long-term franchise QB. But his tenure in New York was marked by inconsistent play, turnovers, and he ended up with a poor win-loss record and low passer efficiency over his first three seasons.
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By 2021, Jets leadership under GM Joe Douglas decided it was best to trade him rather than continue to build around him. They traded Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for three draft picks (a 2021 sixth-rounder and 2022 second- and fourth-rounders).
This move gave New York draft capital and enabled them to use their high draft position on a new quarterback (they selected Zach Wilson with the second overall pick in 2021).
The Jets moved on after Darnold failed to develop into the franchise quarterback they envisioned, choosing instead to reset the position and secure valuable draft capital. And in response, former Jets player Robbie Chosen strongly criticized the trade.
“Sometimes in the league, in certain situations, it’s not always the player,” Chosen said. “It takes the foundation around you that helps you become great. I remember saying it on [a podcast], when they were trying to debate with me about him as a player. I’m like, ‘He’s good, he just hasn’t been developed correctly.'”
The former Jets HC Gase’s tenure was marked by poor offensive performance and struggles developing Darnold, and even he publicly acknowledged he hadn’t helped Darnold progress as hoped.
Former player Adams also added, “Man, if only New York had some patience with him. Like, he was the guy, man. He was gonna be The Guy. He just needed time.” Adams was dealt to the Seahawks before the 2020 season.
Sam Darnold went 13–25 in three seasons with the New York Jets. The past two years, he went 14–3 with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 and 14–3 with the Seattle Seahawks, joining Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks to win at least 14 games in back-to-back seasons.
The Jets kept rotating quarterbacks, moving from Darnold to Zach Wilson to Aaron Rodgers to Justin Fields, extending their streak to 10 straight losing seasons. Another new starter is likely in 2026.
Darnold’s trade journey began when the New York Jets dealt Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers in 2021. He spent 2021–2022 in Carolina. After that, his career shifted through free agency rather than trades. He joined the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 as a backup and developmental option, then signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024.
After the tough playoff performance by Darnold in the 2024 season, the Seahawks bet on the veteran QB, and it worked. Now the former New York Jets quarterback is set to appear in his first Super Bowl, facing the New England Patriots on Feb. 8. It is a sight his old team likely never expected when they moved on from him.
