Sam Darnold’s Redemption Tour Rolls into the Super Bowl: From ‘Seeing Ghosts’ to Chasing Glory
In a league that doesn’t often hand out second chances-let alone third, fourth, or fifth-Sam Darnold is rewriting the script.
Now in his eighth year and on his fifth NFL team, Darnold has done the improbable: he’s leading the Seattle Seahawks to their first Super Bowl appearance in over a decade. It’s a comeback story that feels more like a football fable-except it’s very real, and it’s unfolding on the biggest stage in the sport.
This isn’t some team taking a flier on a once-hyped prospect. Seattle brought Darnold in knowing exactly who he was, not who they hoped he might become.
That distinction matters. Because what he’s delivered this season isn’t a surprise breakout-it’s a continuation of the strong form he showed last year in Minnesota.
And if the Vikings aren’t kicking themselves for choosing JJ McCarthy over the guy who threw for over 4,000 yards and 54 touchdowns, they probably should be.
Darnold’s journey to Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium-against none other than the New England Patriots-is one of the most unlikely quarterback arcs in recent memory. As Kyle Brandt pointed out on Good Morning Football, “Guys on their fifth team do not start Super Bowls.”
It’s happened just three times in NFL history. The last was Chris Chandler with the Falcons in 1998.
And yet, here we are.
From USC Star to NFL Survivor
Darnold’s NFL story began back in 2018 when the New York Jets made him the third overall pick. He started his first game on Monday Night Football against the Lions and promptly threw a pick-six on his first pass attempt. But he bounced back to throw for nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns that night, offering a glimpse of the grit that would come to define his career.
Still, his time in New York was turbulent. Over 39 games, he threw 39 interceptions.
But that stat alone doesn’t tell the full story. Darnold battled mononucleosis during his rookie season.
He played behind a shaky offensive line. And he was saddled with a system under Adam Gase that rarely put him in a position to succeed.
The infamous “seeing ghosts” moment became a defining soundbite, but what it really signaled was a young quarterback trying to do too much in a broken environment.
When Robert Saleh took over as head coach, the Jets moved on. And most around the league assumed Darnold’s days as a starting quarterback were over.
Learning the Hard Way
Looking back, Darnold admits he was still playing like the college version of himself-trying to extend plays, escape pressure, and make something out of nothing. That doesn’t fly in the NFL, where defensive ends are 6-foot-5, run 4.4s, and feast on quarterbacks who hold the ball too long.
“I think just that mindset of trying to make a play just got me in a little bit of trouble early in my career,” Darnold said this week.
But trouble didn’t mean the end. In 2021, the Carolina Panthers gave him another shot.
He started hot, winning his first three games, but the momentum didn’t last. He finished that season 4-7 as a starter and was eventually relegated to backup behind Baker Mayfield-the same Baker Mayfield who was picked two spots ahead of him in the 2018 Draft.
Then came San Francisco. Darnold was brought in as a backup to Brock Purdy, the 2022 Draft’s “Mr.
Irrelevant.” He made just one start-a meaningless game with the 49ers already playoff-bound.
On the surface, it looked like another dead-end. But behind the scenes, something was changing.
“That year was incredible,” Darnold said on the Richard Sherman Podcast. “To be able to learn football from Kyle [Shanahan], from that entire staff… it was just a great experience.”
He soaked it all in-working with coaches like Brian Griese and Klint Kubiak (now Seattle’s offensive coordinator), and practicing alongside one of the most talented rosters in football. That year in Santa Clara didn’t show up on the stat sheet, but it laid the foundation for what came next.
The Breakout in Minneapolis
When the Vikings gave him yet another shot, Darnold finally looked like the quarterback people envisioned back in 2018. He built a 1,533-yard connection with Justin Jefferson, and while the Vikings fell short in the postseason, Darnold’s resurgence was undeniable.
Now in Seattle, he’s picked up right where he left off-forming a lethal partnership with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led the league with 1,793 receiving yards. It’s a continuation of the same rhythm, the same confidence, and the same poise that he developed during his year in the shadows with the 49ers.
This time, though, it’s not ending in the Wild Card round. It’s ending in the Super Bowl.
Draft Class Irony
The 2018 quarterback class was supposed to be legendary. Baker Mayfield.
Josh Allen. Lamar Jackson.
Josh Rosen. Sam Darnold.
Of that group, none have started a Super Bowl-until now.
Allen and Jackson have racked up MVPs and playoff appearances. Allen has made two AFC Championship Games.
Jackson has made five postseason trips and one AFC title game. But neither has gotten over the hump, thanks largely to one man: Patrick Mahomes.
This year was supposed to be different. Jackson was the MVP favorite.
Allen was peaking at the right time. And yet, it’s Darnold-cast off, benched, and written off-who’s one win away from lifting the Lombardi Trophy.
The guy who once admitted to “seeing ghosts” is now staring down history. And if he pulls it off, it won’t just be a feel-good story-it’ll be one of the most remarkable quarterback redemptions the NFL has ever seen.