Sam Darnold is owning his past, literally. As the Seattle Seahawks quarterback prepares for the biggest start of his career, the former No. 3 overall pick sounds nothing like a player haunted by old scars. The winding road through the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, and beyond didn’t break him. It built him.
Now, with a Super Bowl berth secured and his best football arriving right on time, Darnold’s message is simple: The journey mattered. And as the Seahawks gear up for Feb. 8, the quarterback at the center of it all is finally playing free
Sam Darnold Embraces the Journey After Reaching Super Bowl Stage
Darnold’s postseason surge made the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run feel inevitable. He shredded the 49ers for 124 yards and one score in the NFC Divisional Round, then followed it with a composed, mistake-free outing in the NFC Championship Game. The Seahawks leaned on balance and defense, and the 28-year-old quarterback handled the rest.
Appearing on “The Dan Patrick Show,” Darnold explained how his mindset has evolved since his early NFL years. He said the noise and pressure that once consumed him no longer dictate how he operates.
“I think just being able to handle it at this point in my career, too,” Darnold said. “It’s — I feel like even mentally. I feel like I handle it a little bit differently internally than I used to, you know, because I realized, like, it is a part of the journey, and it is a part of who I am.
READ MORE: Top 100 2026 NFL Free Agent Rankings
“The days in New York, the days in Carolina — those were part of my journey, and they’re part of my experience — and I loved every single part of it.”
Drafted by the Jets in 2018, Darnold entered the league carrying franchise-savior expectations. Carolina offered a reset in 2021, but stability never followed. Stops with San Francisco and Minnesota helped reshape his approach before the Seahawks handed him a three-year, $100.5 million deal, a move that changed everything.
Darnold admitted he once overanalyzed every mistake, allowing past interceptions to linger longer than they should have.
“It’s like, no, sometimes mistakes happen, and you learn from it, and it’s – you don’t want to make the same mistakes again, but sometimes throughout your career, especially if it’s a long career, like those things are going to happen,” Darnold said.
That mental shift unlocked his best season. Darnold threw for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns, guiding the Seahawks to a 14-3 record and the NFC’s top seed. His accuracy sharpened. His confidence followed. The Seahawks finished first in points allowed and third in scoring, a complete team led by a quarterback who finally trusts the moment.
Now comes the final stage. The Seahawks face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60 on Feb. 8. For Darnold, the past is not baggage but fuel. And the quarterback who once carried doubt now carries belief, straight into the biggest game of his life.
