Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is one of the most encouraging stories of Super Bowl 60.
Darnold went from draft sweetheart and expected savior of the New York Jets, to being billed by many as a bust. Now he has found success with the Seahawks and is proving his doubters wrong.
Why Did a Former Jets’ GM Share Their Belief in Sam Darnold?
Darnold was drafted by the Jets with the third-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and traded three years later. At the time of the trade, the young quarterback’s chance to be a franchise player was an afterthought, but the man who decided to draft him has always believed in him.
Mike Maccagnan was hired as the Jets’ general manager in 2015 and drafted Darnold in 2018. However, Maccagnan was fired in 2019, two years before New York traded the young quarterback to the Carolina Panthers.
“I was always kind of sad that Sam wasn’t able to fulfill that potential in New York,” Maccagnan told ESPN this week in his first interview since being fired by the Jets in 2019. “That’s where he started his journey, and, in an ideal world, he would’ve finished it there.
“But it wasn’t meant to be, and he had to go on his own journey to grow and develop in different places. It makes me feel good that he’s fulfilling his potential. It’s not necessarily vindication. In our business, when you see something, and it turns out the way you envisioned it, it makes you feel good. I think every scout probably feels that way.”
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Darnold improved in his first two years in New York before the wheels came off in 2020. He led New York to a 4-9 record in his rookie year and improved to 7-6 in 2019, before falling to 2-10.
However, he had two different head coaches in his three years, and after the 2020 season, the Jets brought an entirely new coaching staff in, when Darnold was traded to the Panthers.
“My personal opinion: I would’ve liked to have seen him get a full opportunity there,” Maccagnan said. “But at the end of the day, I wasn’t in that building, so I can’t say, ‘They should’ve done this, this and this.’ I wasn’t around. But I was saddened to see them trade him.”
Darnold spent two seasons in Carolina before spending a year as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers. He got to watch and learn from coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Brock Purdy.
Then, Darnold signed a one-year deal in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings, and coach Kevin O’Connell unlocked the third-overall pick potential that was inside.
The Vikings went 14-3, and Darnold threw for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
Minnesota lost in the first round of the playoffs and let Darnold walk in free agency, with quarterback J.J. McCarthy waiting in the ranks.
The Seahawks saw what Darnold did in 2024 and signed him to a three-year, $100.5 million contract.
Coach Mike Macdonald and Darnold have been a perfect pair, as the quarterback has led a second straight 14-3 season and has his Seahawks playing in the Super Bowl.
“He’s the one I never second-guessed,” the former GM said. “I always felt he was the one I got right.”
The Jets had their 10th straight losing season in 2025, and Darnold will be playing in Super Bowl 60.
