Sam Darnold led the Seattle Seahawks to a place in the Super Bowl on Sunday after defeating NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams 31-27 in the conference championship game. It made him the first quarterback from the 2018 draft class to lead a team to play for the Lombardi Trophy.
The 2018 draft class was loaded with quarterbacks, with notable names like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield. However, none of them is yet to appear in the Super Bowl. In his postgame press conference on Sunday, Darnold expressed his feelings about the feat.
“I actually made it 23 as well, when I was in San Francisco,” Darnold said. “No, I’m just messing with you. It’s unbelievable. Obviously, those are great players, but it’s more so the team, just the hard work that we’ve put in throughout this season, OTAs training camp, I talk about it a lot.
“I know every team works really hard in that off-season when we’re just working together. To be able to go inside defense every single day, that got us better as an offense, and I know they can say the same thing about us. We take it day by day, and that’s the beauty about this team and these guys in that locker room, this coaching staff.”
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Sam Darnold was selected as the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NFL draft by the New York Jets, but was a bust at the franchise. Redemption came for him in the 2024 season after leading the Minnesota Vikings 14-3 finish, while recording a 4,000+ yard season for the first time.
Sam Darnold appreciates his teammates and coaching staff for their support
Sam Darnold has received a great amount of support from his Seahawks teammates and coaching staff this season. They’ve also spoken highly of him during sessions with the media. The quarterback expressed gratitude for this when questioned about it on Sunday.
“It’s great,” Darnold said. “I feel that support, not with only their words, but just with how everyone treats each other in the building. There’s a lot of respect that goes around the building. Everyone respects the work that we all put into this great game.
“I’m happy to be a part of this team and this group and this coaching staff. I’m really happy to be here, I’m happy to be in this position, I’m just going to continue to do the best that I can to put this team in positions to win football games.”
Sam Darnold is one win away from the Super Bowl as the Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8. It’s a rematch of the 2015 Super Bowl, where the Tom Brady-led Patriots came from behind to seal a 28-24 victory in Glendale, Arizona.