Sam Darnold: The ultimate journey, man
With a win in Super Bowl LX, Sam Darnold will have a strong argument for having pulled off the greatest career turnaround in NFL history. And he could earn that honor before his 29th birthday.
In 2018, at just 21 years old, Darnold — drafted third overall by the Jets that offseason — became the youngest quarterback in the Super Bowl era to start in a season-opener for his team.
Darnold’s Jets tenure ended in a trade to the Panthers prior to the 2021 season. His Carolina stint started off hot (3-0) before fizzling out in the form of seven losses over his final eight starts. After losing the Panthers’ QB1 job, Darnold moved on to San Francisco, serving as Brock Purdy‘s backup in 2023.
Fast-forward to 2024, when Darnold joined the Vikings and became the first quarterback to win 14 games in his first season with a team. After a disastrous final two games to wrap the campaign, he then became the first quarterback not to return to a team that he won 14 games with the previous year.
The Seahawks signed Darnold to a three-year deal during the 2025 offseason, and in Week 1, he became the only quarterback in NFL history to start a season-opener for four different franchises prior to his 30th birthday (Darnold turns 30 in June 2027).
What better way to cap his career renaissance (and second consecutive 14-win season) than by setting a new Super Bowl milestone? A victory on Sunday would cement Darnold as the first starting QB to win a ring while on his fifth team.
There have been other unlikely Super Bowl champions, of course. Brad Johnson was a ninth-round pick whose journey to Super Bowl glory included a pitstop in London with NFL Europe, and Trent Dilfer wasn’t even the Ravens’ starter until Week 9 of Baltimore’s 2000 championship season.
But a Seahawks win would make Darnold singular in the annals of league history.