'Anything is Possible,' Sam Darnold Reflects on Career Path to Seahawks' NFL Super Bowl 60 Win

Sam Darnold's career resurrection has reached football's pinnacle.

The veteran quarterback led the Seattle Seahawks to a 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots in Sunday's Super Bowl at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, securing his spot as a franchise legend in just his first year with the team.

"As long as you believe in yourself, anything is possible," he said after the victory:

During his postgame press conference, Darnold gave his parents a shoutout for believing in him:

After the game, Seattle wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba (who won the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year award) hyped Darnold:

The New York Jets surely envisioned the USC product doing something like that when they selected him with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft, but he never lived up to expectations at his first stop in the league.

In fact, he went just 13-25 in three years with the Jets before bouncing around to the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers.

He was a backup in San Francisco during the 2023 campaign, and it was fair to wonder if he was going to get another opportunity to start in the NFL. But the Minnesota Vikings gave him just that chance in 2024 when rookie J.J. McCarthy was sidelined for the season, and he seized it in impressive fashion.

Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record and postseason appearance, although they didn't bring him back when they lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Seattle brought him in for the 2025 campaign, and the rest is history.

Seahawks' SB Scoop-and-Score😤

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The Seahawks finished with the best record in the NFC at 14-3 as Darnold completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Darnold then led them to playoff wins over the 49ers and Los Angeles Rams before lifting the Lombardi Trophy with the victory over the Patriots.

Darnold threw for 202 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions against New England but was at his best in the NFC Championship Game win over the Rams by throwing for 346 yards, three touchdowns and zero picks.

Now he looks like the franchise quarterback for the Seahawks he never was at his previous stops.