Sam Darnold has been associated with several distinct labels throughout his career.
Draft bust and turnover-prone were among the words many used to describe his career after being on five teams in eight seasons.
But now Darnold can be called a Super Bowl champion.
“Sam doesn’t care about the obstacles,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said following the game. “Everybody’s made a narrative about this guy. They have tried to put a story and a label on who he is as a person, who he is as a quarterback. He does not care.
“He’s the same guy every day since he showed up. He’s so steadfast, he’s a great teammate, his teammates love him. All he’s done since he’s walked in the door is be a tremendous player on our football team and a tremendous leader who’s the same every day. That’s who he is and that’s how we need to talk about him moving forward.”
After completing 19 of 38 for 202 yards and a touchdown, Darnold had a quiet night in the Seahawks 29-13 win over the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium. But he did the one thing the Seahawks needed him to do: be cautious with the football, something he has done throughout the postseason.
Darnold, 28, had a dominant defense and Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, who rushed for 135 yards, leading the way in the victory over the Patriots. However, he played the best football of his career during the postseason, including a 346-yard, three-touchdown game in the NFC Championship win against the Rams.
Since his time with the Jets, Darnold has had his doubters. He was drafted third overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. He was hailed as the “face of the franchise.” But following two coaching changes and a dismal 13–35 record and a 78.6 passer rating over three seasons, Darnold was widely labeled a “bust.”
Darnold was then traded to Carolina in 2021 after Robert Saleh became the Jets’ coach. His struggles continued with the Panthers, and in 2023, he signed a one-year contract to serve as the 49ers’ backup quarterback. In San Francisco, Darnold started just one game, but he credits coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense and his time learning behind Brock Purdy for helping revive his career.
Darnold then signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Vikings to compete with J.J. McCarthy for the starting job. But McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury, and Darnold passed for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions after leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record in 2024.
The Seahawks then gave Darnold a three-year, $100.5 million contract last offseason and traded Pro Bowl quarterback Geno Smith to the Raiders. All Darnold did was pass for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He became the first quarterback to win 14 regular-season games in consecutive seasons with different teams.
Darnold didn’t just prove his haters wrong, he also proved the same people who thought he was worthy of the third overall pick right. He was selected above former NFL MVPs Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, who are still looking to play in their first Super Bowl.
“The reason I’m here is because of my journey,” Darnold said. “Because of the ups and downs, especially the downs, I went through early on in my career. I learned so much about myself, about football.
“It’s funny how it works.”
During the playoffs, Darnold played through an oblique injury that many thought would limit his production. But it never appeared he was impacted during his three postseason victories, including Super Bowl LX.
Darnold played turnover-free football with 672 passing yards, five touchdowns, and a 102.4 passer rating across three games. He also finished with a 122.4 passer rating and high efficiency under pressure against the Rams and 49ers. Darnold joined Steve Young, Troy Aikman, and Drew Brees as one of four quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl with zero postseason turnovers during the last 35 years.
“It wasn’t fun by any means,” Darnold said via ESPN about his injury. “It was pretty banged up. Still, I don’t really want to go into too much detail because I don’t understand why I would. But it hurt really bad. You guys can imagine, left oblique strain for a quarterback is not fun.”
We’ve had redemption stories in the NFL before. But after facing long odds of becoming a starting quarterback once again, Darnold proved not only that he can lead a team, but also that he can be an instrumental piece in helping lead a team to a championship.
