Super Bowl 2026: Is Seattle Seahawks’ Sam Darnold greatest NFL redemption story?

The Sam Darnold redemption story is quite something – from being rated as one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL to Super Bowl champion.

It’s a tale of never giving up, of character, unwavering self-belief and persistence, but also a warning for teams not to write a quarterback off too soon.

As youngsters being drafted into the NFL are at the mercy of circumstance, not every team will fit every rookie and the sport’s history is littered with college stars deemed not good enough.

They often bounce around from team to team, as Darnold did, but never has one plumbed the depths before managing to rise up and claim the sport’s ultimate prize in the ultimate NFL redemption story.

So how bad was Darnold? Well, the numbers were not great, as after being drafted in 2018 he spent three seasons with the New York Jets and two with the Carolina Panthers – during which time he ranked bottom or near the bottom in several areas.

Wins were the main one – just 21 of them in five seasons – but categories like passer rating and completion percentage were the worst of any quarterback during that time.

As a third pick in the draft he was ridiculed for his «seeing ghosts» comment as he struggled, and labelled a bust, but now he’s getting fitted for a Super Bowl ring it’s clear he was only part of the problem.

Fellow Jets quarterbacks Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith and Zach Wilson also all finished dead last in passer rating in their first three seasons with the team. Notice a theme?

That’s a quirk of the NFL Draft system, the best players go to the worst teams, and while some could just be having an off season so can build for success, some have serious issues.

After Sunday, Darnold has now won 39 games since leaving New York, including serving two years as a back-up – the Jets have won just 26.

The Panthers have won 15 to Darnold’s 31 since leaving Carolina and even the Vikings and 49ers can’t match his wins since he departed.

People forget that at just 21 he was the youngest NFL starting quarterback since the 1970 merger – perhaps the young man was just in the wrong place after all.

«Quarterbacks need tonnes of help to allow you to go show how great you can be. If you do not get that help, you are limited in how great you can be,» said former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and three-time Super Bowl champion Steve Young.

«And there are not 32 places in the league today that can give you that help.»

Young knows when a team is not a good fit, as he was drafted by a poor Tampa Bay squad and won three games in two seasons before leaving to join the 49ers and eventually becoming a Hall of Fame member.

Ironically enough it was a largely forgotten season in San Francisco that also provided the catalyst for Darnold to launch the comeback of all comebacks.

«I didn’t play great football the first few years of my career,» Darnold admitted after the Super Bowl. «Then I come here to San Francisco and I think because of that year I was able to learn a tonne. I was able to kind of learn and go to Minnesota and play good football there. I was able to come to Seattle and do the same.»

Working in a fully functioning franchise, learning from coach Kyle Shanahan and serving as back-up to Brock Purdy in a Super Bowl saw Darnold head to Minnesota better equipped to succeed.

The irony of returning to Levi’s Stadium for his crowning glory was not lost on him.

A stellar season in Minnesota came after he replaced injured rookie JJ McCarthy, but then more irony in the Vikings opting to stick with the quarterback they drafted saw Darnold move on again.

He left after massive career highs of 14 wins, over 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns, but still with question marks after a play-off capitulation against the Rams.

Once again, he had a point to prove.

Quarterbacks grab all the headlines, for good or bad, but they simply cannot do it all by themselves in this ultimate team sport.

Tom Brady regularly had, and needed, a top-10 defence on his side to win Super Bowls, while Patrick Mahomes lost two of them because he was soundly beaten up by opposing defences.

In Seattle, Darnold found the perfect storm of a team on the up and a defensive head coach assembling a crack unit that would go on to dominate the NFL, needing just a solid quarterback to steer the offence.

Having the league’s leading receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker also helped, and plenty will say Darnold did not have to do much.

He became the first quarterback to enjoy successive 14-win seasons with two different teams – only Brady had managed it with one – but still there were questions as he led the league in turnovers, giving the ball away 20 times.

Around 80% of play-off games are won by teams with the fewest turnovers. In Super Bowls the record was 40-7 when winning the turnover battle.

Darnold has the fourth most giveaways in the NFL since being drafted (106) despite spending two years as a back-up, so once again he had to prove himself as he was written off as a liability before even entering the post-season.

The response was remarkable as Darnold’s Seattle became the first Super Bowl champions without a single turnover in the play-offs.

He answered the mental questions of facing the Rams again with 346 yards and three touchdowns, before doing just enough in the Super Bowl itself.

Was it flashy? No. MVP worthy? Not even close. But Darnold, now 28, did what he had to – he kept hold of the ball, made plays when needed and managed the game without ego or trying to be the hero.

No quarterback has won a Super Bowl having played for five teams before, but then no quarterback has been counted out so many times and got back to the top.

Luck has played a part, teams like Minnesota and Seattle took a chance and the Seahawks have furnished Darnold with everything he could possibly want in a team – and maybe there’s a hatful of quarterbacks in the league who could have won a Super Bowl with them this season.

None have been where Darnold has though and not many have done more to earn it. His redemption story really is one for the ages.