Sam Darnold entered the NFL as the No. 3 overall pick by the New York Jets in 2018, expected to be a franchise quarterback. When that didn’t happen, he embarked on a journey across the entire country and back, from Carolina to San Francisco to Minnesota and now Seattle.
He had his breakout season as the Vikings‘ starter in 2024, but they let him walk in free agency, which triggered a league-wide series of transactions. Minnesota moved on to J.J. McCarthy, who was the 10th overall pick in 2024. The Seahawks traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders. Darnold landed in Seattle.
Less than 12 months removed from all that, the Seahawks are the clear winners.
As Darnold prepares to play in his first Super Bowl, here’s what you need to know about the 28-year-old quarterback.
1. His performance in the NFC Championship Game was the best of his career.
Take everything into account on this one.
First of all, it was the biggest game of his life. Any performance on that stage — or higher — is elevated.
Second, it was against the Rams. They bounced Darnold out of the playoffs last postseason when he played for Minnesota. In that game, he took nine sacks and threw an interception on the way to a 27-9 L.A. rout. This year, he threw four interceptions in his first outing against the Rams, a Seattle loss. The Seahawks eked out a 38-37 overtime win over L.A. in their second regular-season matchup, but not without Darnold throwing two interceptions and taking four sacks.
Third, look at the stats: He went 25-of-36 for 346 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions and three sacks allowed in the NFC title game. He posted 17.5 expected points added — a half-point more than Rams QB Matthew Stafford. All three of Darnold’s touchdowns came against pressure.
Finally, after Seattle’s defense stopped Stafford in the red zone with five minutes left, Darnold led an 11-play, 49-yard drive that drained four and a half minutes off the clock. That killed Stafford’s chances at a comeback. The Seahawks won 31-27 and earned a Super Bowl berth.
It was the best 60 minutes Darnold has ever played on a football field.
2. He once went viral for saying he was “seeing ghosts” against the Patriots’ defense.
One game should never define a player. But one game — and one quote from that game — has come to define Darnold’s tenure with the Jets. On a Monday night against the New England Patriots back in 2019, Darnold threw four interceptions and lost a fumble in a 33-0 loss at MetLife Stadium.
He was mic’d up, and on the sideline he studied a tablet after one of his many mistakes. Then he made an admission that — once aired on the ESPN broadcast — went viral.
“I’m seeing ghosts,” he said.
It’s seemingly harmless. It was abundantly obvious.
When looking at Bill Belichick’s defense, Darnold was seeing things that weren’t there.
The Patriots had Darnold’s number during his time with the Jets. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
We now know that his failure in New York was largely because of an institutional failure to support him. His coach, Adam Gase, never got another job in the NFL after the Jets fired him. Then-OC Dowell Loggains had to take a tight end job at Arkansas after leaving New York. Darnold’s top receiver was Jamison Crowder. His offensive line stunk.
Darnold has put that part of his career behind him. But he hasn’t altogether shaken his propensity for a meltdown game. As mentioned, he threw four interceptions in a game against the Rams this season.
So it’s hard to shake the question: Can Mike Vrabel, the Patriots’ current coach, do what Belichick, the Patriots’ former coach, once did to Darnold?
3. He has defied his turnover-prone reputation during these playoffs.
Darnold has not committed a turnover this postseason. What’s more, he has avoided a turnover (INT/fumble) despite 21 pressures in his two playoff games, per Next Gen Stats. He is 7-of-16 for 117 yards and four touchdowns (five sacks) against pressure.
He’s great against pressure. He’s not turning the ball over. He’s an extremely hard quarterback to beat.
Of course, the Patriots have forced at least one turnover out of every quarterback they’ve played this postseason. And New England intercepted Texans QB C.J. Stroud four times, so Darnold needs to tread carefully.
4. His tenure with the 49ers completely changed the trajectory of his career — twice.
We saw the results of Darnold’s turnaround in 2024 with the Vikings.
The process began in San Francisco in 2023. Kyle Shanahan’s system is definitely friendly to quarterbacks, but that undersells the work the Niners coach has done to help young signal-callers find their way on and off the field.
It seems like Darnold is yet another example. Because the QB’s backup role in San Francisco drew enough attention around the NFL to get Kevin O’Connell interested in bringing Darnold to Minnesota.
Sam Darnold (14) spent a season backing up Brock Purdy (13) with the 49ers in 2023. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
That’s where Darnold got the opportunity to shine. In 2024, he had 4,319 passing yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and led the Vikings to the playoffs. And if not for the team drafting McCarthy, the Vikings might have stuck with Darnold.
But that’s where the 49ers came back into play. In 2023, Klint Kubiak was San Francisco’s passing-game coordinator. Last offseason, he was Seattle’s new offensive coordinator when Darnold became a free agent, and that connection played a big part in the Seahawks pursuing the QB.
The 49ers built Darnold back up. And then a 49ers connection got Darnold on a Super Bowl-caliber roster.
5. His grandfather was the Marlboro Man.
Sometimes you just need a fun fact for the Super Bowl party. This is that fact.
Darnold’s grandfather, Dick Hammer, was the Marlboro Man — and a college basketball player at USC, which is Darnold’s alma mater. Hammer was also an Olympic volleyball player.
