The story of the Super Bowl and the Seattle Seahawks season as a whole is ultimately going to boil down to the reclamation project that was Sam Darnold. Yes, a historically good defense under mastermind Mike Macdonald, a special season from Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and a dominant run game all played a part in their success.
But the turnaround for Darnold, who many people still doubted after his success with the Minnesota Vikings, was deemed a result of the system, and might be the ultimate victory for the franchise. After revitalizing his career and emerging as a Super Bowl winner, the former first-round pick was as savvy as he could be when discussing his former teams and organizations.
Sam Darnold Reveals What Makes the Seahawks Special
After wrapping up the season with a victory in Super Bowl 60, Darnold finally spoke about the year he’d had in Seattle. “It’s special, and like I always say, it’s this group, that’s why it’s special; the connection that all of us have as players, the love that we have for each other – the players, the coaches, really everybody in the building, from the top down from Jody [Allen] all the way down.”
Finishing 13th on PFSN’s QB Impact, it was the highest finish of his career, and he attributed it to the organization that the Seahawks had built. “The love that we shared throughout the building is special, and I’ve never been in a place like it.”
For some, that last comment may have been a subtle shot at his time with teams like the Jets and the Panthers, who chose to move on from him.
After a disastrous stint with the New York Jets, who drafted him with the third overall pick, Darnold made his way to the Carolina Panthers, who couldn’t bring the best out of him either. As a result, he found his way to being a backup with the San Francisco 49ers.
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While head coach Kyle Shanahan had some high praise for him, he remained stuck behind Brock Purdy on the depth chart for the entire year before finding a new home with the Vikings. Unfortunately, even after a wildly successful season, Minnesota wasn’t ready to take the plunge with him.
After a rough final two games of the year, including a miserable showing in the Wild Card round, head coach Kevin O’Connell decided to move forward with J.J. McCarthy as the starting quarterback of his organization.
The Seahawks, in the meantime, swooped in to add Darnold to their remade roster, and the results are clear as day to see. Leading them to 14 wins, he was a key component of their path to victory, overcoming every obstacle and doubt laid at his feet.
Regardless of the path to get to Levi’s Stadium, the end result remains unchanged, and now, Darnold can proudly call himself a Super Bowl champion, the first of that vaunted 2018 draft class.
