Sam Darnold 'Shut a Lot of People Up' in NFC Title Game Win, Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald Says

Sam Darnold's road to the Super Bowl has been a winding and oft-disappointing one, but the veteran quarterback is on his way after throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's 31-27 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.

His head coach, Mike Macdonald, had a message for the haters following the win.

"Can't say enough about our quarterback," he told reporters. "Shut a lot of people up tonight."

Macdonald wasn't alone in his praise:

Darnold, 28, started his NFL career with the New York Jets after being the No. 3 overall pick at the 2018 draft. His time in the Big Apple was a struggle—he isn't the first young quarterback who languished with the Jets—as he threw for 45 touchdowns, 39 interceptions and was 13-25 as the starter in three seasons.

In April 2021 the Jets traded him to the Carolina Panthers for a 2021 sixth-rounder and second- and fourth-rounders in 2022. His two years there didn't go much better, however, as he threw 16 touchdowns, 16 picks and was just 8-9 as the starter.

Darnold then spent the 2023 season with the San Francisco 49ers as Brock Purdy's backup. A year with Kyle Shanahan seemed to revitalize him, and ahead of the 2024 season he signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

It wasn't initially clear if he'd be the starter in Minnesota, given that the team drafted J.J. McCarthy in the first round of that year's draft. But McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason and Darnold was fantastic, throwing for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record and a playoff berth.

The good vibes ended in the postseason, however, as he was sacked nine times and threw an interception in Minnesota's 27-9 loss against the Rams in the Wild Card Round.

Still, Seattle believed. The Seahawks traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick ahead of the 2025 campaign and signed Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million deal. He responded by throwing for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while leading the team to a 14-3 record, NFC West title, the top overall seed in the NFC playoffs and now a berth in the Super Bowl.

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And he's been fantastic in the postseason, throwing for four touchdowns and zero interceptions while cementing his status as one of the best turnaround stories in the sport over the past few years.