Russell Wilson Hypes Sam Darnold, 'LEGIT' Seahawks After Blowout Win vs. 49ers in NFL Playoffs

Veteran quarterback Russell Wilson had some kind words for his old Seattle Seahawks team and rising star Sam Darnold following their blowout 41-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Saturday's NFC Divisional Round matchup.

Wilson shared a tweet praising Darnold's "comeback story" and hyping the Seahawks as "legit" after they advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since he helped lead them there himself in 2014.

Wilson, who played for the New York Giants in 2025, spent the first 10 years of his career in Seattle, leading the franchise to its first Super Bowl title in the 2013 season. Nine of his 10 Pro Bowl selections came while he was in a Seahawks uniform, and he was once considered to be among the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL.

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Wilson's career took a bit of a downturn after leaving Seattle, as he failed to recapture his old form in stints with the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was the Giants' starting quarterback to begin the 2025 season but was quickly replaced by rookie signal-caller Jaxson Dart.

Darnold's career trajectory has been the polar opposite of Wilson's, as he overcame a journeyman status to develop into one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in the past two years. He went 14-3 with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 before leading the Seahawks to the same record this year, joining Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks in NFL history with back-to-back 14-win seasons.

Wilson will be among the masses hoping to see Darnold to complete his feel-good story by leading the Seahawks to the Super Bowl this year. Seattle will face the winner of Sunday's game between the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams in next week's NFC Championship Game.