With the Seattle Seahawks’ 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60, Sam Darnold has gone from a bust to an NFL champion. After the game, Darnold got up on the podium and spoke to NFL fans. What he said gave shades of Kevin Garnett’s NBA Championship speech after winning the 2008 finals with the Boston Celtics.
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold Changes Trajectory of Career With Super Bowl 60 Win
Following the Super Bowl win, Darnold had the chance to speak following the win, and he said the following:
“As long as you believe in yourself, anything’s possible.”
Garnett had a different reaction, albeit a different career trajectory than Darnold, so the situation changes a little bit. After winning the NBA Finals, Garnett yelled, “Anything is possible.”
Darnold also added the following: “It’s unbelievable. Just after everything that’s happened in my career, but to do it with this team, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’m so proud of our guys. Our defense, I can’t say enough great things about our defense…It’s an unbelievable feeling, and I’m so happy for the guys in the locker room and the coaches that put in so much effort throughout the season.”
The first starting QB in history to win a Super Bowl after playing with 5+ teams.
What a rewarding journey for Sam Darnold 🙌 pic.twitter.com/fujhHRzWwk
— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2026
Darnold has had one of the most interesting career trajectories of a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, which started after being drafted with the third pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Jets from the USC Trojans. However, poor play led the Jets to trade Darnold to the Carolina Panthers in April of 2021.
After his time with the Panthers, Darnold signed with the San Francisco 49ers for the 2023 season as a veteran depth piece. He was later signed by the Minnesota Vikings a year later, where things quickly changed.
In the 2024 season, Darnold completed 66.2% of passes for 4319 passing yards, 35 passing touchdowns, and only 12 interceptions. Despite the strong performance, the team didn’t resign him, so the Seahawks took advantage and signed him to a three-year, $100.5 million deal.
In PFSN’s NFL Quarterback Impact Metric, Darnold ranked as the 13th-best quarterback in 2025. He finished with an impact score of 78.7 and a letter grade of C+. He completed 67.7% of passes for 4048 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
Darnold performed well in the playoffs as well, playing a major part in his team’s Super Bowl run. In three playoff games, he completed 61.5% of his passes for 672 yards and five touchdowns. He didn’t perform as well tonight as he did in previous playoff games, but it didn’t matter.
