# Sam Darnold — what pundits predicted QB · USC 64 checkable claims from 34 pundits. These are other people's predictions about what he will do — we grade the prediction, never the player. ## What pundits expect (39 unsettled) - “As of this writing, all signs point towards Sam Darnold playing on Sunday against the Commanders... Barring a blowout, which seems entirely on the table right now, I suspect Sam takes the whole game. (Week 3 vs. Commanders)” — [Brendon Nelson](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/brendon-nelson), for 2026, said Sep 25, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c3e9fb37-4de8-495c-b906-4c1af4ad0307 - “I mean, is Darnold going to play this week or not? I don't know. I would imagine he does because he talked to the press.” — [John Middlekauff](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/john-middlekauff), for 2026, said Sep 25, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/41d65ece-ef1e-4b78-97cc-019c25b1fb2a - “It's entirely possible that he misses only one week of action and returns this Sunday against the Commanders.” — [Jared Dubin](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/jared-dubin), for 2026, said Sep 24, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/8301c3d8-8576-4b45-bbf9-ddde0396f824 - “Darnold is expected to return to practice this week, but he doesn’t seem likely to start. (Week 3)” — [Jacob Herlin](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/jacob-herlin), for 2026, said Sep 22, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/10b1241b-8d4a-4c42-be12-2731cab8cff0 - “Head coach Mike Macdonald said after the team's Week 2 victory that Sam Darnold is ahead of schedule in his recovery and has a chance to practice this week and play on Sunday against the Commanders. However, I expect the Seahawks to give their franchise quarterback one more week to recover... (Week 3)” — [Mike Fanelli](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/mike-fanelli), for 2026, said Sep 21, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c5f770c7-d0c5-4415-9d77-e75481ccdc1d - “their first game at Seattle, which is a massive week five game. And we assume Sam Donald is going to be back for all of that.” — [Rich Eisen](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/rich-eisen), for 2026, said Sep 21, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/37ac8ef6-b174-47f9-8228-eab00283367f - Sam Darnold to be 1st on the depth chart — Andrew Hughes, for 2026, said Sep 21, 2026; not settled yet - “Their first biggest challenge is the injury to quarterback Sam Darnold that might keep him off the field for only one more game.” — [Michael Hanich](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/michael-hanich), for 2026, said Sep 21, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/f91e7219-d445-40f0-a010-5920071b8918 - “Seattle views this as a short-term injury, and it's possible that Darnold is back out on the field in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders.” — [Jeremy Brener](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/jeremy-brener), for 2026, said Sep 17, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/66c6ea90-7522-4907-8157-5a31ad2637e9 - “For the sake of prediction, we will theorize that Darnold misses three more games (another reason the Seahawks may have left him off IR) and Lock remains the starter.” — [Connor J. Benintendi](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/connor-j-benintendi), for 2026, said Sep 16, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0e6b315b-ea1c-4684-b910-a9bbfd08da47 - “Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported that Darnold could miss four to six weeks” — [Mike Florio](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/mike-florio), for 2026, said Sep 16, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b3a97b6b-5ffd-47eb-84d2-a6d5c56293d3 - “ESPN's Ian Rapoport reported that Darnold will "be out next week and then we'll see," giving him a chance to return in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders.” — [Ian Rapoport](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/ian-rapoport), for 2026, said Sep 16, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/43a4c0dc-c5a6-4bc6-aa81-3af6f495c6a1 - “I think Ian Rappaport reported last night an outside shot of week three. I I'd say probably, more likely week four into week five for him.” — [Mike Garafolo](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/mike-garafolo), for 2026, said Sep 16, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/575325c7-710d-43cf-870c-9ef74266e925 - Sam Darnold to move — “new contract worth about $60 million a year next spring” — [Greg Auman](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/greg-auman), for 2026, said Sep 10, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7922619b-562e-48a7-a101-a81741c7bbe6 - Sam Darnold to move — “will get a new contract/deal” — [Darius Butler](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/darius-butler), for 2026, said Sep 9, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/619c7bcd-5c13-4522-bfe2-21070176447e - Sam Darnold to finish QB2 (13–24) at his position, by fantasy points — [Rich Hribar](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/rich-hribar), for 2026, said Sep 7, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c66a5604-9c0b-426a-9bfa-5c64ea88c44e - Sam Darnold to outplay his draft cost (ADP: 183 (QB24)) — Jason Kamlowsky, for 2026, said Sep 3, 2026; not settled yet - Sam Darnold to record 14 sacks — [Henry McKenna](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/henry-mckenna), for 2026, said Sep 1, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5ee62256-5481-459d-800e-8b6d4f5517dd - Sam Darnold to finish top 5 at his position, by passing yards — [Colin Cowherd](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/colin-cowherd), for 2026, said Aug 24, 2026; too vague to check — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a1424798-03f5-4d2c-bf17-1ea5660ac7d2 - Sam Darnold to outplay his draft cost (late-round) — [Pat Fitzmaurice](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/pat-fitzmaurice), for 2026, said Aug 22, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c2020e64-02ba-4a5d-9fa3-02337db9705f - Sam Darnold to be 1st on the depth chart — Gordon McGuinness, for 2026, said Aug 20, 2026; not settled yet - Sam Darnold to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards — [Nick Wright](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/nick-wright), for 2026, said Aug 12, 2026; too vague to check — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7d421403-7900-4341-9916-fee8f128bb11 - Sam Darnold to be 1st on the depth chart — [Jeremy Brener](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/jeremy-brener), for 2026, said Aug 11, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/f5a3fee4-180e-453f-ab35-1447c589de03 - Sam Darnold to be 1st on the depth chart — [Jeremy Brener](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/jeremy-brener), for 2026, said Aug 10, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/19b6a082-caf9-405d-8ff4-dd6a33a5c16e - Sam Darnold to outplay his draft cost (Late-Round) — [Pat Fitzmaurice](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/pat-fitzmaurice), for 2026, said Aug 3, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/f34a680f-e67e-4401-8634-cc41f24d7af4 - Sam Darnold to be 1st on the depth chart — [Walt](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/walt), for 2026, said Aug 1, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/94ec46b8-3867-42f7-b18a-824530549489 - Sam Darnold to record 90 rushing yards — [Walt](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/walt), for 2026, said Aug 1, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3d3b21ae-d713-4fe4-a6e1-6d36e8d8783f - Sam Darnold to record 27 passing tds — [Walt](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/walt), for 2026, said Aug 1, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3d3b21ae-d713-4fe4-a6e1-6d36e8d8783f - Sam Darnold to record 265 fantasy points — [Walt](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/walt), for 2026, said Aug 1, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3d3b21ae-d713-4fe4-a6e1-6d36e8d8783f - Sam Darnold to record 4,100 passing yards — [Walt](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/walt), for 2026, said Aug 1, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3d3b21ae-d713-4fe4-a6e1-6d36e8d8783f - Sam Darnold to record 2 rushing tds — [Walt](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/walt), for 2026, said Aug 1, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3d3b21ae-d713-4fe4-a6e1-6d36e8d8783f - Sam Darnold to record 14 passing interceptions — [Walt](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/walt), for 2026, said Aug 1, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3d3b21ae-d713-4fe4-a6e1-6d36e8d8783f - Sam Darnold to make Hall of Fame — [Paul Pabst](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/paul-pabst), for 2026, said Jul 14, 2026; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d47f4ffd-3d5c-4470-8178-e7ba3536f9d2 - Sam Darnold to finish top 26 at his position, by fantasy points — Matthew Berry, for 2026, said May 12, 2026; not settled yet - Sam Darnold to move — [Peter Schrager](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/peter-schrager), for 2025, said Mar 4, 2025; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d85fbaa5-de9a-4005-8da5-01b47326d167 - Sam Darnold to move — [Rich Eisen](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/rich-eisen), for 2025, said Mar 3, 2025; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/31948b4e-272b-4549-ab99-0e22f13124c5 - Sam Darnold to move — [Rich Eisen](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/rich-eisen), for 2024, said Feb 3, 2025; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2bab8f84-0dc0-4acd-88d5-539898948d95 - Sam Darnold to make the roster — [Richard Sherman](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/richard-sherman), for 2024, said Jan 15, 2025; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/956f5970-10c1-4e23-a612-56ce9ca02030 - Sam Darnold to move — [Marcus Mosher](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/marcus-mosher), for 2023, said Jan 19, 2024; not settled yet — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fc7b32fa-de85-476f-a424-7f0febc1a836 ## Settled (25) - Sam Darnold to move — [Justin Penik](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/justin-penik), for 2025, said Mar 6, 2025; scored 0 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 0) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/4af0c93c-46f5-4a2c-ae24-e6ffa81a6559 - Sam Darnold to move — [Rich Eisen](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/rich-eisen), for 2025, said Mar 3, 2025; scored 100 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 0) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b7b4272f-1a0d-4a49-aa8d-9c4e0fafe7f4 - Sam Darnold to move — [Chris Brockman](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/chris-brockman), for 2025, said Mar 3, 2025; scored 100 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 0) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/f5a95573-4efe-4e21-89cc-287b362c5823 - Sam Darnold to move — [Chris Brockman](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/chris-brockman), for 2025, said Mar 3, 2025; scored 100 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 0) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a2b07104-54ed-4c96-9d46-9aa0edca856a - Sam Darnold to move — [Colin Cowherd](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/colin-cowherd), for 2024, said Feb 7, 2025; scored 0 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 0) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/20b95f66-a4d8-4c9c-8b28-24ec3daab872 - Sam Darnold to move — [Richard Sherman](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/richard-sherman), for 2024, said Jan 25, 2025; scored 0 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 0) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fd0cf59d-3729-4865-8641-02792d0b6b24 - Sam Darnold to move — [Richard Sherman](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/richard-sherman), for 2024, said Jan 25, 2025; scored 0 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 0) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fd0cf59d-3729-4865-8641-02792d0b6b24 - Sam Darnold to move — [Richard Sherman](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/richard-sherman), for 2024, said Jan 25, 2025; scored 0 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 0) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fd0cf59d-3729-4865-8641-02792d0b6b24 - Sam Darnold to win Super Bowl MVP — [Willie Colon](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/willie-colon), for 2025, said Feb 6, 2026; scored 0 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 0) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b6655a6f-9a44-46d4-8c76-0d96b7334211 - Sam Darnold to win top-five MVP finish — [Rich Eisen](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/rich-eisen), for 2024, said Dec 9, 2024; scored 0 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 0) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/6671cdd3-7a29-4dc8-a3a0-7b5702ef670b - Sam Darnold to win Super Bowl MVP — Covino and Rich, for 2025, said Jan 29, 2026; scored 0 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 0) - Sam Darnold to be 1st on the depth chart — [Rich Eisen](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/rich-eisen), for 2025, said Jun 23, 2025; scored 100 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 100) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/1e372f85-6770-4afa-8ebb-98523328990b - Sam Darnold to be 1st on the depth chart — [Rich Eisen](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/rich-eisen), for 2025, said Jun 12, 2025; scored 100 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 100) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0c27cc85-06f2-42c0-9578-744a7a5b6540 - Sam Darnold to be 1st on the depth chart — [Chris Brockman](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/chris-brockman), for 2024, said Dec 16, 2024; scored 100 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 91.67) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/ddb19de3-a3e9-4138-9e6f-f2c42690b788 - Sam Darnold to win Super Bowl MVP — [Nick Wright](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/nick-wright), for 2025, said Feb 7, 2026; scored 0 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 0) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/8ff42b18-5a45-40e1-b3b6-17612cfca395 - Sam Darnold to win Super Bowl MVP — [Richard Sherman](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/richard-sherman), for 2025, said Feb 3, 2026; scored 0 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 0) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5ab6f4c1-fbc9-4302-be00-058afd3d2b04 - Sam Darnold to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards — [Jason McIntyre](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/jason-mcintyre), for 2025, said Jan 29, 2026; scored 58.33 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 100) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/e9fd14ca-301a-4147-a70d-249f7d2ad263 - Sam Darnold to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards — [John Middlekauff](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/john-middlekauff), for 2025, said Feb 3, 2026; scored 58.33 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 100) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c96513ff-7b39-4129-a2f4-a096bc67353b - Sam Darnold to finish top 10 at his position, by passing yards — [Colin Cowherd](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/colin-cowherd), for 2025, said Jan 29, 2026; scored 58.33 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 100) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/86818d7d-c5a6-4251-bac8-d706b306dda3 - Sam Darnold to record 2 passing interceptions — Covino and Rich, for 2025, said Jan 17, 2026; scored 0 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 29.98) - Sam Darnold to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points — [Andrew Erickson](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/andrew-erickson), for 2025, said Nov 28, 2025; scored 83.33 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 58.33) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/e9e47a95-bce8-4e1a-8000-8f5eec1e45ed - Sam Darnold to make First Team All-Pro — [Richard Sherman](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/richard-sherman), for 2025, said Oct 24, 2025; scored 0 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 100) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c7d73c27-2a94-4ee1-9046-42fde863faf0 - Sam Darnold to be 1st on the depth chart — [John Middlekauff](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/john-middlekauff), for 2025, said Mar 1, 2025; scored 100 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 100) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/dd47dc99-3bd9-4627-909a-d59bb6062385 - Sam Darnold to be 1st on the depth chart — [Richard Sherman](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/richard-sherman), for 2024, said Jan 25, 2025; scored 100 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 91.67) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fd0cf59d-3729-4865-8641-02792d0b6b24 - Sam Darnold to be 2nd on the depth chart — [Marcus Mosher](https://missedtakes.co/pundits/marcus-mosher), for 2023, said Jan 19, 2024; scored 100 out of 100 (a naive guess scored 91.67) — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fc7b32fa-de85-476f-a424-7f0febc1a836 --- Page: https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/sam-darnold Method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology