Sam Darnold announces massive personal news ahead of first season with Seahawks

Sam Darnold has had himself quite the year and change. From his breakout season with the Minnesota Vikings - in which he threw for 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions to earn his first Pro Bowl selection - to receiving a $100 million contract from the Seattle Seahawks, the 28-year-old has accomplished quite a lot in a short amount of time.

That's just on the field, though. Off the field, Darnold is also having himself quite a time.

On Monday night, Darnold and his longtime girlfriend Katie Hoofnagle announced their engagement on Instagram. Hoofnagle previously played club soccer at the University of South Carolina, so she has an athletic background as well.

"Huge!! Congrats to you both!" the Seahawks' Instagram account commented.

Shortly after Darnold signed his contract with the Seahawks in March, he hosted a charity flag football event at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California. While there, he gushed about Hoofnagle's impact on him in an interview with Us Weekly.

Feb 6, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Sam Darnold and Katie Hoofnagle on the red carpet before Super Bowl LIX NFL Honors at Saenger Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“The support [from] my girlfriend is unbelievable,” Darnold told Us Weekly's Daniel Trainor on March 15. “You know, the fact that she just understands it. She's a former athlete herself, and just gets kind of the grind of everything. When I just want to chill, she's very up for that, especially during the season.”

Darnold also joked that Hoofnagle helps him get out of the house, at least when it's not football season.

“Maybe not so much in the offseason,” Darnold said. “If she wants to go somewhere and I just want to chill, she's like, ‘Let's go out to dinner. We need to go to dinner.’

“She's great. She's always been my biggest supporter. And I love her, and I thank her for that all the time.”

Darnold is now on his third team in as many years (he reportedly started dating Hoofnagle in 2023), and the stress of moving constantly has been tough for the couple.

“We have lives, we have families, we have everything just like everyone else,” Darnold said. “Whenever we are on a one-year deal, like, yeah, it's great. I understand playing in the NFL is awesome and I love every second of it. But when you have those one-year deals, which a lot of guys in the NFL are on, you're always in the back of your head thinking, ‘OK, where am I gonna play next?’”

Fortunately for Darnold, he landed a three-year deal from the Seahawks this offseason, so hopefully moving will be less of a concern for the near future.

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