ESPN recently released its Top 10 rankings for quarterbacks across the league, leading to several heated opinions from fans making cases for their favorite stars to be ranked higher than they have been.
Josh Allen earned first place on the list, edging out three-time Super Bowl champ Patrick Mahomes, who is expected to recover from his season-ending injury ahead of the start of the 2026 NFL season. One quarterback missing from the list was Sam Darnold (who boasts a $45 million net worth, per Celebrity Net Worth).
Colin Cowherd made his opinion very clear on Darnold’s ranking, claiming general managers don’t really know where Darnold stands because of the supporting cast around him. On Monday’s episode of ‘The Herd,’ Cowherd said:
“Even the GMs in this league don’t know what to do with Sam Darnold. Back-to-back 14-win seasons, totally different players, offensive linemen, coordinators, coaches, back-to-back 14 wins and a Super Bowl.
Since 2022, that’s four years ago. He has the highest win percentage of any quarterback in the league, more than Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. He’s 32-9, four coaches, four coordinators, four teams, four rosters, four owners, 32-9, almost a 100 passer rating.”
While Darnold put up a 14-win season as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, he fell short in the Wild Card matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, tying the record for most sacks taken and getting hit nine times for 82 yards lost.
However, Darnold got over the hump in the 2026 NFC Championship Game, beating the Rams alongside Mike McDonald and Jaxson Smith-Njigba in a hard-fought 31-27 battle.
Meanwhile, after Darnold left, the Vikings only managed to put up a 9-8 record with JJ McCarthy, failing to make the playoffs.
This parity in performances could be one of the reasons Darnold did not make the Top 10 in the list. Cowherd continued:
“I say this all the time. It’s not just what happens when you enter a company. What happens to the one you leave? Minnesota Vikings, when Sam Darnold left, same coach, same coordinators, same left tackle, same receivers, won five fewer games, missed the playoffs. With Sam, they had their greatest year in 26 years. I mean, that included Randy Moss years, right? He leaves Minnesota, they’re bottom-feeders in their division.”
Other candidates in the Top 10 include Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Drake Maye, Jared Goff, and Caleb Williams.
Sam Darnold Was Not Satisfied With Super Bowl Performance
While Darnold led the offense to a Super Bowl win against the New England Patriots, the veteran quarterback was not completely satisfied with his performance in the big game.
During an appearance on ‘Bussin With The Boys,’ Darnold spoke out on his performance, saying:
“I didn’t play great in the Super Bowl. Like, I missed way too many throws; and we still won. Our defense balled out and I didn’t turn the ball over, which helped, but to win the Super Bowl that way? I was like… kinda bummed.”
Darnold put up 202 passing yards on 19/38 attempts, with five rushing yards and zero interceptions. Meanwhile, Kenneth Walker added 135 rushing yards on 27 carries alongside 26 receiving yards, winning the Super Bowl MVP award.
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