Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
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(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
TheSeattle Seahawks benefited from Sam Darnold’s resurrection after many considered him a bust following his stint with theNew York Jets. Nonetheless, after a year with theSan Francisco 49ers in 2023, Darnold would begin to find success on the field.
Darnold would surprise many with an impressive 2024 NFL season with the Minnesota Vikings. After Minnesota saw Darnold leave for Seattle, it was the Seahawks who won the Super Bowl this past season, with the signal-caller playing a huge role in both the regular season and the playoffs.
Now that the offseason has provided several players from the Seahawks to reflect on their 2025 season, veteran Cooper Kupp shared his thoughts on what it was like to see Darnold resurrect his career.
“I talked to him a little bit about what his journey was like, because noone’s done what he’s done,”Kupp said on the March 19 edition of “Real Ones: The League.” “Like it just doesn’t happen. For guys like him, a lot of times they get written off, pushed aside, and told, ‘You can’t be the guy.‘Sam’s extremely talented. I saw that he can make every throw, move, and throw off any base. All that stuff’s there.
“He talked a lot about early on feeling like he needed to be someone that the league told him he needed to be. The league could get in and say, ‘You’re a young guy, and you’re the quarterback, and you need to take control over everything, and this is how you’re supposed to be.‘It’s like, no, you need to be Sam Darnold.”
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold Believed in Himself
Moreover, Kupp spotlighted Darnold’sability to believe in himself, which played a major role inshowing that his 2024 season with the Vikings was no fluke.
“It’s just consistent Sam Darnold being Sam over and over again, completely unaware of whatever anyone else is saying because he was at the very bottom of it,“ Kupp added. “He was at the place where everyone had written him off. It’s like the only way you get back is to believe in yourself.
“Once you’ve done that, once you’ve committed, like, ‘Man, I’ve believed in myself when no one else did, and I’m back at this point, why go back to listen to what anyone else has to say about you?‘I’m so proud of him, and it’s been really fun playing alongside him.”
Darnold finished the 2025 regular season with a 99.1 passer rating, throwing for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions over 17 games, leading to his second Pro Bowl selection,per StatMuse.
In the postseason, Darnold elevated his play, posting a 102.4 passer rating with 672 yards and five touchdowns across three games as he would his first Super Bowl,per StatMuse.
Coby Bryant Would Like to Play Seahawks in Week 1
While Seattle doesn’t have to think about a title defense just yet, one former Seahawks player would like to play his old team in Week 1.
On March 19,Coby Bryant appeared on “Up & Adams“ and understood that the Chicago Bears are playing the Seahawks this upcoming season, noting that he would like for his new team to head to Seattle in Week 1 to spoil the celebrations.
“Every game’s a meaningful game, but I wouldn’t mind honestly starting the season off out there [against the Seahawks],“ Bryant told Adams. “Weather would be nice; the whole world will be watching.”