Leonard Williams explains Sam Darnold's changes with Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is getting ready for the biggest game of his career against the Los Angeles Rams.

While Darnold has appeared in the Super Bowl before, he only did so as a backup quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. This weekend, he'll have a chance to start in the NFC Championship against the Rams, who eliminated him last year when he was with the Minnesota Vikings.

Before Darnold was with any of these NFL teams, he started out his professional career with the New York Jets as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of USC. During his college days, he was teammates with defensive end Leonard Williams, whose path has eerily matched with Darnold to get to the pacific northwest. Now, the pair have a chance to reach a Super Bowl together.

"He means a lot to this team. I've been around him in college, I've been around him early in his career on the Jets, and I think as soon as I saw him in the building here, I saw a dedicated guy. He's dedicated to his craft, dedicated to the work, dedicated to this organization, and he's just a special leader on this team," Williams said of Darnold.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold throws the ball as New York Giants defensive end Leonard Williams defends. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Darnold, Williams have unusual path together

The pair were teammates in college for two seasons at USC before Williams went to the league as a first-round pick for the New York Jets. In 2018, Darnold became the Jets' quarterback and played with Williams again for two seasons before the defensive star was dealt to the New York Giants in the middle of the season. Darnold stuck with the Jets for one more season before the team traded him to the Carolina Panthers ahead of the 2021 season.

Two years later, Williams was dealt again, this time to the Seahawks. Two years after that, Darnold rejoined them, and now the pair have a chance to get to the mountain top of the football world together. While things are a bit different, Williams says things have shifted a bit.

"I think we're both very different. Even for me, I was too young to pay attention to other guys that much. Now I'm a veteran, I can understand what guys are going through. I can be more of a leader in that space where I can see what's going on in the locker room. When he first got to the Jets, I was still young as well, so it was harder for me to pay attention to what other guys were doing," Williams said of Darnold.

The two were not called upon to be leaders on a young Jets team, but now that they have both grown in their careers, they are being asked to play a big role for the Seahawks on and off the field. The Seahawks will need both of them to be on their A-game in order to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in 11 years.

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams celebrates on the field following an NFC Divisional Round. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Darnold, Williams have unusual path together

More Seahawks On SI stories