Sam Darnold Shares Special Moment With Parents, Future Wife Katie After Super Bowl

Sam Darnold didn’t have his best game of the season, but he was good when he needed to be and he’s now a Super Bowl champion with the Seattle Seahawks. He got to celebrate the special moment with his parents and fiancée Katie Hoofnagle after defeating the New England Patriots, 29-13, in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California.

The Seahawks rode a mistake-free game from Darnold and a suffocating defense that turned Drake Maye over twice including a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Darnold finished the game 19-38 with 202 yards and one touchdown.

SAM DARNOLD TO AJ BARNER TOUCHDOWN!

Super Bowl LX on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/sCoEyewllX
— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2026

Darnold, 28, finished his first season with the Seahawks on top after leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-win season the year before. He was Brock Purdy’s backup the year before with the San Francisco 49ers as they went to the Super Bowl, and got buried for dead in his career as a Carolina Panthers and New York Jets player.

While Darnold was a star all season, so was Hoofnagle, who rocked fits like her furry Seahawks Grinch look for a game, and then crushed “San Francisco” Seahawks gear to start Super Bowl week.

Darnold’s special family moment

After the win, a cool, calm, and collected Darnold as always talked about having a special moment with his mom and dad, as well as Hoofnagle.

"I'm not gonna cry right now." 🥹

Sam Darnold explains what it means to win a Super Bowl ❤️ pic.twitter.com/iRissvX15i
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 9, 2026

He’d talk about them again to the media, getting emotional:

"I told my dad, and my mom... I'm here because of their belief in me. They believed in me throughout my entire career. That's why I was able to believe in myself."

Sam Darnold had a heartfelt moment with his parents after winning Super Bowl LX 🙌pic.twitter.com/PYKXakPExp
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 9, 2026

Now, he can spend some more time with Katie and planning a wedding before getting back to work to defend the Seahawks’ Super Bowl crown.

The QB’s love story

Darnold and Hoofnagle just got engaged in July. She’d share her answer to the quarterback’s proposal from the beach in Dana Point, California, with an emphatic “YES!!!!”

Hoofnagle was a star defensive soccer star for the South Carolina Gamecocks in college, starting in 67 games over four years. She’s from the Bay Area and met Darnold when he played for the 49ers in 2023.

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