Sam Darnold Credits 49ers QB Brock Purdy for His Seahawks Career Revival

High praise.

Jan 17, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) shake hands following an NFC Divisional Round game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Sam Darnold's year-long stint with the San Francisco 49ers propelled him to a Super Bowl victory with the Seattle Seahawks in the 49ers' backyard.

All 49ers fans understandably aren't happy that the Seahawks won the Super Bowl in the City by the Bay of all places, but the organization deserves some credit.

Taking a chance on Sam Darnold, a quarterback practically everyone considered a bust, and helping revive his career to the point where he eventually won a Super Bowl is a noteworthy achievement.

Talking about his year-long tenure in San Francisco, Darnold spoke about how influential Brock Purdy had been in his development.

“I can’t mention Brock enough,” Darnold said on the Bussin' With The Boys Podcast. “But just the way that he prepared really showed me how to really prepare, because you don’t know what you don’t know.

"And I think for me, being able to go there and see how efficient he was — because you can put a ton of time in, but you can be doing it the wrong way. And he was so efficient with his time.

"And he would cut out three or four hours of studying throughout the night because our game plans were crazy. …The system is so intricate.

“But that was so fun. It was so fun to go learn football there. And I’m so thankful for that opportunity that I got in San Francisco.”

Jan 3, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) reacts after the game at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

It wasn't just Purdy who made a difference, with Darnold adding other core players helping him along the way.

“I’ve talked about learning from Brock quite a bit,” Darnold added. “But all the great players that are over there. George Kittle, Fred Warner, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams of course — you just have all these studs who are over there.

"And to just learn their habits and stuff that they do in the offseason, how they get better, it was just such a great opportunity for me to just go there and be a sponge, and just learn so much football. Learn how to take care of my body off the field.”

The 49ers have many fantastic players, but they still need a Super Bowl win of their own to etch themselves into NFL immortality.

Darnold may have had close to minimal impact on the field in 2023 in the 49ers' run to the Super Bowl, but behind the scenes grew into a player who ended up winning the biggest prize in the game.

He added in the interview that he got a "PhD in football" learning under Kyle Shanahan.