Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold went for 4,000 yards for the second time in his career in 2025.
Will he do it again in 2026? Darnold has the same weapons ready to run things back with him in Seattle’s receiving corp next season. The USC product will look to his offensive backfield to establish a strong ground game without last season’s Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, in addition to Zach Charbonnet being on the shelf to begin the season due to a torn ACL.
According to ESPN’s Mike Clay in his 2026 NFL Projection Guide, Darnold projects to fall just short of 4,000 yards next season, completing 65.4 percent of his passes for 3,924 passing yards along with a 24-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Darnold’s completion percentage is forecasted to decrease by over two percent from the 67.7 percent he recorded in 2025, despite seeing a projected increase in passing attempts from the 477 he attempted last season to 491 next season.
Due to the injury to Charbonnet, the Seahawks will potentially look to their passing attack more in 2026 with rookie RB Jadarian Price as the starter to begin the year. Darnold has the chance to throw for 4,000 yards for the third straight season in 2026, especially with wide receiver Rashid Shaheed in town for the entire year.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks QB Sam Darnold short of 4,000 yards in ESPN’s 2026 Projection