And on Sunday, both players will be leading a pair of 3-1 teams that both have legitimate playoff aspirations, a far cry from where they were as teammates on a struggling Panthers team three years ago.
"Sam and I are really close," Mayfield told reporters in Tampa Bay this week. "I'm just happy for him. From going a couple of different places that weren't great for us to having a good opportunity elsewhere, it's fun to see. I knew he just needed that opportunity, another chance, and he's thriving now."
Mayfield and Darnold's delayed success stories two of several examples that, given the challenges of the position and, quite frequently, the challenging positions they are put into being drafted by struggling teams, it's not fair, or prudent, for teams to give up on a quarterback who doesn't enjoy immediate success. Over the past three seasons, the Seahawks benefited from Geno Smith's career resurgence, while this year the Colts are off to a hot start with former Giants first-round pick Daniel Jones leading one of the league's highest scoring offenses.
"Our organization is the poster child for that sort of thing," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said, referencing Smith and Darnold's success in Seattle. "A wise man once said players are allowed to get better and that's something we believe in here. I have a lot of respect for Baker. I think he's playing at a really high level, obviously his team respects the heck out of him. He's tough. He competes. He's won. We've had a lot of great battles with him when he was in Cleveland. And Sam's (Darnold) writing a heck of a story for himself too right now. It's great what's going on in the league with some of the quarterbacks, bringing their careers to a different level as it grows, that's pretty cool."
Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who was with Darnold in San Francisco two seasons ago, sees his quarterback as a classic example of a player who showed resilience, got better and is now making the most of his opportunities.
"Absolutely," Kubiak said when asked if quarterbacks are given up on too soon in the NFL. "That's just part of the NFL, everyone's going to get fired, coaches, players, and it's what happens after that. Sam's a terrific example of, keep fighting, you have a passion, you love playing the game, you get better, you get another opportunity and you make the most of it. It's no different than any other position, there's just more of a microscope on the Qs."
Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp was teammates with Mayfield during the quarterback's five-game stint with the Rams in 2022, and now he is part a Seahawks offense that is thriving under Darnold's leadership, and in both players, he's seen good examples how teams are often too quick to give up on young players tasked with handling the most difficult position in the sport.
"I do think the plugs get pulled on guys a little early," Kupp said. "You've got to give guys the ability to learn, make mistakes and truly give guys the freedom to make mistakes. Guys across the league, rookies come in here, make huge mistakes. I know I've made my fair share. And as a quarterback, you are put in a position where you have to make these decisions. And you're put in a position to make a mistake out of 10, 20, 30 times what most other guys are. So, there's going to be more mistakes, there's going to be more errors. But we're so critical of those guys because they have the ball all the time.
"Give the guys a chance to learn, figure it out, and don't put the pressure on and if you make a mistake, just let it rip. Go do it again. It's fine. These are part of growing in this league. It's a natural process that's going to happen. I think the best quarterbacks in this league have been in positions early on where they can grow into that and make those mistakes behind the scenes or they're given a position to go out there and learn and let it fly. And coaches have said it doesn't matter. I'm secure in myself. We're secure enough to trust that you're going to be able to figure these things out. I think those guys flourish if you just let them get to that place."
Darnold and Mayfield had to bounce around the league a bit to get that chance, but now, heading into a Week 5 showdown between playoff hopefuls, both are indeed flourishing.