Sam Darnold 'shut a lot of people up' by leading Seahawks to Super Bowl LX

On April 5, 2021, Sam Darnold was traded from the New York Jets to the Carolina Panthers for draft compensation, viewed as a failed No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft after posting a 13-25 total record with a franchise that had one winning season in the previous seven years before his arrival.

Darnold, in 2019, was caught saying he was “seeing ghosts” during a 33-0 loss to the New England Patriots after throwing four interceptions in a Week 7 game. He’s never lived it down.

Last season, Darnold had two turnovers and was sacked nine times in a 27-9 Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 13, 2025 — ending a 14-3 campaign as the quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings. The blame fell on him.

Just over a year later, Darnold, now the starting quarterback of the Seahawks, completed 25 of 36 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-27 win over the Rams in the NFC Championship to advance to Super Bowl LX.

Jan 17, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) is interview by Fox Sports Erin Andrews following an NFC Divisional Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Darnold has led back-to-back 14-3 regular seasons, and now he’s had playoff success — particularly against the team nobody said he could beat. So, of course, he was asked about the 2019 quote after the game.

“I almost forgot about it, so thanks,” Darnold joked in the postgame press conference. “There was a lot that I didn’t know back then, so I’m just going to continue to learn and grow in this great game. And there’s a lot of stuff that I could get better from today, even … That’s the great part about this game, you win an NFC Championship, and you win games throughout the season, but there’s always ways you can look to get better.”

The current Seahawks starting quarterback is not the same person who was leading the Jets all those years ago. He was a top-3 draft pick put in a bad situation, and situations matter in the NFL.

This season, Darnold threw four interceptions against the Rams in a 21-19 Week 11 loss. He led the league in turnovers at the end of the regular season. Could the old Darnold be coming back?

In Week 16, to keep the Seahawks’ NFC West title hopes alive, Darnold led the offense on a game-winning touchdown drive in overtime before throwing the two-point conversion to tight end Eric Saubert that sealed it. Still, he threw two interceptions. Can he win the big game?

After the Seahawks destroyed the injury-riddled 49ers 41-6 in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, led by their defense, the question remained. He still had to beat the Rams in the postseason, and it was going to be for a Super Bowl berth.

Darnold, working through an oblique injury for the second-straight week, was nearly perfect in the biggest football game of his life.

In the biggest game of his life, Sam Darnold delivered 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/7JD5ZArBVp
— ESPN (@espn) January 26, 2026

“The drive at the end on offense was just tremendous,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters after the game. I thought Klint [Kubiak] called a great game, and then you can’t talk about the game without talking about our quarterback. He just shut a lot of people up tonight, so I’m really happy for him.”

Time and time again, even after the four-interception performance in Week 11, Darnold’s Seahawks teammates and coaches have had his back. It can be difficult to sift through what of that is just public talk versus what is going on in the building, but it never felt like what the team was saying was forced. And the team never wavered on the field.

With a Sunday, Feb. 8, date set for the Seahawks’ date with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, it’s hard to dispute what the players and coaches have said all season.

Darnold has become a true leader, and he’s leading one of the best football teams in the world. Those facts aren’t up for debate.

Baker Mayfield (No. 1 overall), Josh Allen (No. 7), Josh Rosen (No. 10) and Lamar Jackson (No. 32) were the other four quarterbacks drafted in the first round of the 2018 draft. Darnold is the only one to reach a Super Bowl.

“I feel that support,” Darnold said of his team’s response to criticism of him during the season. “Not with only their words, but with how everyone treats each other in the building. There’s a lot of respect that goes around the building. Everyone respects the work that we all put into this great game. I’m happy to be a part of this team, man. This group and this coaching staff, I’m really happy to be here. I’m happy to be in this position. I’m just going to continue to do the best that I can to put this team in positions to win football games.”

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