Sam Darnold won the Super Bowl in his first season with the Seattle Seahawks. This came after he signed a modest QB deal in free agency to join them just last offseason. They took a chance, and he thanked them and rewarded them for it.
Sam Darnold thanks Seahawks for taking a chance
Sam Darnold signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal last offseason. As far as quarterback contracts go, that’s a pretty small deal that doesn’t exactly indicate a hot market. He’s the 18th-highest-paid QB, behind Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins, and DeShaun Watson. The Seahawks believed in him when few others did.
“I’ve talked a lot this last week about belief,” he said via ESPN. “A lot of people didn’t believe in me, but it didn’t matter because the ones that are close believed in me, including you all. I appreciate you all so much. That short list also includes (team owner) Jody Allen, (general manager) John Schneider, (coach) Mike Macdonald. I appreciate the belief you all had in me for signing me this past year.”
Of course, Darnold is referencing the fact that after a 14-win season that included a 35:12 TD-INT ratio, he didn’t have as many suitors as one would expect. The Seahawks were able to sign him to a relatively cheap deal, and he immediately won the Super Bowl.
Ernest Jones goes to bat
Ernest Jones, another new Seahawk this year, supported Darnold through and through. He lashed out at critics during the season. Jones echoed that sentiment following the championship and the parade, calling out everyone.
“Not only do we have the best defense in the world, we’ve got the best team in the world,” the linebacker said. “Quite frankly, if you’ve got anything to say about my quarterback, if you’ve got anything to say about my defense, if you’ve got anything to say about our O-line, if you’ve got anything to say about the city of Seattle, I’ve got two words for you: F**k you.”
At this point, few have anything to say about Darnold. They had little to say about the defense, but when you’re a Super Bowl champion who just played a part in one of the best defenses in the last few years, you can say whatever you want.
The quarterback’s epic comeback
Sam Darnold’s comeback is the stuff of legend. He was totally written off after his time with the New York Jets. Being traded to the Carolina Panthers in that era was a death sentence. Understandably, he was pretty bad. The Panthers tried Baker Mayfield, PJ Walker, and the ghost of Cam Newton before circling back to Darnold.
That is when his fortunes began to change. He landed with Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers. It was the first time he was with a good organization with a strong offensive mind. He played well in relief of Brock Purdy.
Then, Darnold signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings to back up rookie JJ McCarthy. When McCarthy was lost to the season, Darnold, thanks to a strong offensive mind and a great system around him, went off, winning 14 games and becoming an MVP candidate.
But because the year ended poorly and the Vikings had McCarthy, they did not re-sign him, so the Seahawks took him in on a three-year deal. In year one, he completed his comeback and won the Super Bowl.
Of course, it’s true that probably at least 20 quarterbacks could’ve won the Super Bowl with that Seahawks defense on the other side. It’s also true that Darnold was one of the best QBs in 2025 (fifth in yards and 11th in passer rating).
Darnold might not have been responsible for the Super Bowl win, but he played well during the playoffs and has now put together two good seasons in decidedly different environments. He’s no longer purely a system QB that can’t do anything without a lot of help, which is kind of what the Jets and Panthers versions were like.
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