Sam Darnold: ‘I Grew Up Dreaming of This Moment’ Playing in Super Bowl LX

SAN JOSE, CA – Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has enjoyed an incredible career revitalization over the past two seasons while compellingly overcoming his draft bust status as he is set to become the first USC quarterback to start in a Super Bowl on Sunday.

Darnold’s professional career got off to a tumultuous start with the New York Jets where he was drafted third overall in 2018. He had a 13-25 record as a starter in New York before being traded away to the Carolina Panthers after his third season.

“I would have loved to get drafted to New York and have that be my home for 20 years, but it just didn’t work out that way,” Darnold said during Super Bowl LX Media Opening Night. “Same thing in Carolina. San Francisco was a great place for me to learn. In Minnesota I had an opportunity with really good players and really good coaches, to show myself what I could do on the football field, and I think people saw that.”

Even after enjoying a breakout season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 where he threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns in the regular season before an early exit in the divisional round of the playoffs in a 27-9 blowout playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

“I think you have to embrace failure, and you have to learn from your mistakes,” Darnold suggested. “Learning from my mistakes early in my career I feel has gotten me to this point.”

In the offseason, Darnold signed a three-year contract, $100.5 million contract that locked him in as a starter after the Vikings allowed him to leave via free agency.

“Seattle just from the get-go, right when I got here, it felt like home,” he added. “I’m just so grateful to Seahawks GM John (Schneider) and head coach Mike (Macdonald) and all the people in that locker room believing in me. For me to be able to go out there and do nothing more than my job on every single play, that’s a very secure feeling as a quarterback.”

The eight-year veteran became only the second quarterback in NFL history to win at least 14 games in back-to-back seasons, joining only Tom Brady in this exclusive club.

“He’s been a tremendous leader for us,” Macdonald praised. “The guy’s love playing for him.

“He deserves all of the credit that he is getting.”

In back-to-back seasons, Darnold eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark, but it was his performance in the NFC Championship game against the Rams where he threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns that clinched the Seahawks first Super Bowl appearance in just over a decade.

“I grew up dreaming of this moment,” Darnold explained. “I just worked on doing my job the best I could and how can I get better the next day. Just stacked the days and now we’re here playing for the Super Bowl.”

Darnold’s football journey started just 200 miles south of Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium in his hometown of San Clemente and it’s those roots where he credits his success.

“It’s always about believing in yourself to have confidence,” Darnold suggested. “For me that comes from having a great family and support system back home with my friends that I grew up with in high school and college and even these guys in this locker room now.”

The Seahawks come in as heavy favorites against the New England Patriots, but Darnold will take all the help he can get in his corner leading up to the biggest game in his life.

If Darnold and the Seahawks can pull off the win on Sunday it will be a redemption story for the ages having been essentially written off by a handful of teams before landing in a dream situation.