Seahawks Embrace the Spotlight as Super Bowl Week Kicks Off with a Smile
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SAN JOSE, Calif. - Super Bowl Opening Night isn’t exactly known for Xs and Os. It’s more about costumes, chaos, and cameras - and this year, the Seattle Seahawks are embracing every second of it.
Sam Darnold, Seattle’s Pro Bowl quarterback, wasn’t just answering questions Monday night - he was wearing a blow-up ham hat while doing it. And when someone handed him a blue-and-white serape, he threw that on, too.
The crowd around him erupted into chants of “Ham for Sam!” as the 28-year-old leaned into the absurdity with a grin.
Then came the pièce de résistance: a portrait of the Marlboro Man, only this one had Darnold’s own red hair and beard superimposed beneath the cowboy hat. The image was a nod to his late grandfather, Dick Hammer - a real-life Marlboro Man, firefighter, USC basketball player, Olympic volleyball athlete, and Hollywood stuntman.
Darnold’s reaction? Pure joy.
“I get to keep this?!” he asked, eyes wide.
He did.
That kind of energy set the tone for the Seahawks’ night - and really, for the start of their Super Bowl 60 week in the Bay Area.
Across the room, practice squad cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles fielded fan questions like a seasoned vet. When asked to choose between Drake or Kendrick Lamar, he didn’t hesitate.
“Kendrick. I was Kendrick way back,” he said, repping the 27-time Grammy winner like a badge of honor.
Rookie left guard Grey Zabel might’ve dropped the night’s most unexpected answer when asked about favorite rock bands: “Poison,” he said, referencing the glam metal group best known for “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” Safe to say that’s a first in Seahawks locker-room history.
Elsewhere, fans and players kept the good vibes rolling. One woman handed Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon a tiny note - think fortune cookie-sized - and followed it up with a hand-heart gesture. Witherspoon, all smiles, returned the gesture with a thank-you and his own heart hands.
All of this, by the way, was set to the unlikely soundtrack of Herb Alpert playing quietly overhead.
Even Jimmy Kimmel’s sidekick Guillermo Rodríguez got in on the action, handing out Crustables to reserve linebackers Jared Ivery and Jamie Sherriff. The two played it up for the cameras, overacting every bite with dramatic “Ummmmmms!” - though Seahawks fans know Crustables aren’t just for show. They’re a legit pre-practice snack back in Renton.
Running back Kenny McIntosh, currently on injured reserve, took things a step further. He grabbed a full-sized TV camera from a media member and started filming cornerback Riq Woolen, hyping up the crowd as fans chanted “Riiiiiiiiqqqqqqq!”
from behind the barricades. Woolen even gave away the chain he’d been wearing to one of the fans.
If this all sounds like a Seahawks team having a little too much fun, well - that’s the point. And it’s coming straight from the top.
Head coach Mike Macdonald, the 38-year-old first-year leader with a military pedigree and a reputation for precision, is the one encouraging this team to soak it all in. The son of a West Point grad and career Army officer, Macdonald runs a tight ship on the practice field, barking commands like “If you’re walkin’, you’re WRONG!”
But this week? He’s giving his players room to breathe.
“This is incredible that we’re here. We’re going to lean into that,” Darnold said during his hour-long media session, surrounded by a semi-circle of cameras and reporters four deep.
“We’re going to lean into that, have fun with each other throughout the week, being in the hotel together. I think the more you lean into it, the more fun you can have, the more loose you can be through (the game).”
It’s a calculated balance. Rookie offensive lineman Mason Richman, out of Iowa, explained that Macdonald told the team to enjoy the first two days of Super Bowl week - because once the media circus ends, it’s all business.
“Just enjoy these first two days, because all it is is just media,” Richman recalled being told. “And then we are going to lock in.
That’s just what we do. It’s like during the season, when we get back from that off day on Tuesday, we get right back to work.”
Still, even the fun had its limits.
Veteran defensive lineman Leonard Williams, now in his 11th NFL season, is savoring every moment of his first Super Bowl appearance. After the Seahawks clinched the NFC title with a win over the Rams, Williams and his wife celebrated by making snow angels in the blue-and-green confetti on Lumen Field.
But after 60 straight minutes of media questions Monday night, the 6-foot-5, 310-pound lineman looked like he’d just finished a marathon.
“That was a LONG time!” Williams said, exhaling deeply. “I’m not used to talking that much.”
And yet, that’s the beauty of this Seahawks team. They’re not just showing up for the big game - they’re showing up for the moment. Whether it’s a ham hat, a heart sign, or a glam rock reference, this group is leaning in, staying loose, and keeping the energy high.
If they can carry that same spirit into Sunday, they might just have something special brewing in the Bay.