Do You Trust Sam Darnold or Drake Maye More? We Asked Our Experts for Super Bowl 2026

It always comes down to the quarterback, doesn't it? Ahead of Super Bowl 2026 between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, we asked our NFL experts a simple question: who do you trust more between Sam Darnold and Drake Maye?

While both QBs were drafted third overall as a rookies, they've taken dramatically different paths to their first career Super Bowl start. And our expert staff is split on which quarterback they trust with their Super Bowl predictions ahead of Sunday's kickoff at 6:30 p.m. ET from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

🏈 Super Bowl QB picks: Sam Darnold or Drake Maye?

See the latest NFL odds and our experts' NFL picks for every game this season.

While our experts were split nearly down the middle with our Super Bowl ATS picks, it's a clearer win for Darnold in this survey with eight of our 13 NFL experts siding with the Seahawks QB following arguably the best game of his life in the NFC Championship.

Still, our experts weighed in just days after Maye finished one vote shy of cashing his NFL MVP odds in his sophomore season, leading the league in a whole host of advanced passing metrics while guiding the Patriots to a 10-win turnaround in one year.

There's a reason Darnold is the favorite by the Super Bowl MVP odds, though, even if our straw poll left him completely off the ballot for our Super Bowl MVP predictions.

🟢 Why we trust Sam Darnold in Super Bowl 2026

"Give me Darnold, 28, and his six extra years of NFL experience over the 23-year-old Maye, even if it's only the last two seasons that truly matter for the former third overall pick of the Jets." - Esten McLaren

"Maye was the better quarterback in the regular season, but he's struggled mightily in the postseason against the caliber of defense that he'll face again on Sunday. Meanwhile, Darnold is playing the best ball of his life with a hot-shot coordinator calling plays and maybe the world's best receiver at his disposal — I'll take that side every time." - C Jackson Cowart

"Darnold took down Matthew Stafford and has yet to turn the ball over in the postseason. Meanwhile, Maye has turned into a pumpkin. Yes, he's thrown two picks while fumbling six times in three games, and has looked like a quarterback whose opponents held a record of 91-147 in the regular season. The lights are simply too bright for the fake MVP candidate. Give me Darnold, and watch Vikings fans sing "Baby Come Back" outside his window afterward. (edited)" - Dustin Saracini

"Darnold would have been the better fit than Tom Hanks to portray Chuck Noland in Cast Away. As a four-time castaway, this is the moment Darnold has been waiting for. He'll make it count, emphatically sticking it to those who discarded him." - Gary Pearson

"Darnold has been nearly immaculate across his last three games, Seattle's biggest of the season. He hasn't thrown an interception in over a month while completing over 70% of his passes. He will fully silence whatever haters he has left on Super Bowl Sunday." - Liam Fox

"This is not a name entering the 2025 NFL season that I thought would be on my 'trust' list, but here we are. Darnold has earned that respect, as he has not thrown an interception since December 18. In a few years, my answer would probably be Maye, but he does not yet have big-game experience. Maye has struggled in the 2026 NFL playoffs as well, while Darnold has performed admirably." - LJ Blut

"Without a doubt, every GM worth a damn would prefer to start their franchise with Maye over Darnold. However, given the matchup, Darnold is in the better situation. He doesn't have to face the best defense in the NFL, and bank on two rookie offensive linemen and a sporadic center holding it down against one of the best pass rushes in the NFL." - Rob Paul

"Yes, there's been notable missteps before. But Darnold has shed his ghosts for a while now, and we saw that during the brightest spotlight in the NFC Championship Game when his defense endured a rare stumble and the running game wasn't clicking. But there was Darnold, rising up when needed while averaging 9.7 yards per attempt." - Sean Tomlinson

🔴 Why we trust Drake Maye in Super Bowl 2026

"This is like being asked which 'Paul Blart: Mall Cop' movie I like better. I'm told I can't say 'neither,' so let's go with Maye, who has been more careful with the football this season and adds a rushing element that Darnold simply doesn't have. And in a game that should be decided late, that makes an enormous difference." - James Bisson

"I guess people are ignoring the fact that, with the game on the line in the AFC Divisional Round, Maye absolutely dunked on the best cornerback in the NFL to put the nail in the coffin of the Texans with his third touchdown of the game. That's the same Texans defense that held Darnold to 17-of-31 passing and only one TD in Week 7, btw." - Andrew Brennan

"You want me to put my trust in a man that was 'seeing ghosts'out there? Maye has spent three playoff games facing three of the league's best pass defenses - Seattle will just be a fourth. His ball security took a big step against the Broncos after a few rough games, committing zero turnovers. Meanwhile, the Patriots will probably pose the toughest defensive threat that Darnold has seen in weeks, and arguably all season. Seeing ghosts will be the least of his worries." - Andrew Reid

"We’re comparing a young star QB who finished as the NFL MVP runner-up against a former bust who finally put it together? The Vikings didn’t even trust Darnold enough to pay him in the offseason, so don’t overreact to his stacked supporting cast and his 55.7 QBR." - Corey Scott

"The Patriots were a big reason why Darnold was labeled a colossal bust while with the Jets. Just Google 'Sam Darnold Ghosts' for the backstory. It’s an entirely different Pats team, but those ghosts wearing Patriots uniforms will haunt him all night in Santa Clara. The last franchise Darnold wants to see on this stage is the Patriots." - Matt Burke

💰 More Super Bowl picks & predictions

See all of our NFL analysis and expert predictions for Super Bowl 2026.

• Super Bowl AI prediction: ChatGPT vs. Gemini vs. Claude
• Super Bowl MVP opening odds & early predictions
• Who will win the Super Bowl? Picks & analysis
• Super Bowl matchup breakdown & betting preview
• Why the Seahawks will roll inexperienced Patriots
• Seahawks vs. Patriots expert picks & analysis
• Can Seahawks break Super Bowl favorites curse?
• Super Bowl MVP sleeper picks
• Super Bowl final score predictions 2026
• Super Bowl score predictions
• Super Bowl same-game parlay for Patriots to win
• Super Bowl same-game parlay for Seahawks to win
• Championship parlay picks & cross-sport bets

📺 How to watch Super Bowl 2026: Seahawks vs. Patriots

• Date: Sunday, Feb. 8
• Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, Calif.)
• TV: NBC/Peacock

See our full breakdown for how to watch Super Bowl 2026, including TV info and streaming options for Seahawks vs. Patriots in Super Bowl 60.

❓ Super Bowl 2026 FAQs

Who is favored to win the Super Bowl?

The Seattle Seahawks are the Super Bowl favorites with odds of -240 to beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 2026. Those odds carry an implied probability of 70.59% for the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl, according to our odds converter.

When is the Super Bowl?

The Super Bowl will be on Sunday, Feb. 8, at 6:30 p.m. ET from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Where is the Super Bowl?

Super Bowl 60 will be at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Who's playing in the Super Bowl?

The NFC champion Seattle Seahawks will face the AFC champion New England Patriots in Super Bowl 2026.