Tremendous Bowl 2026: Sam Darnold can crown one of many NFL’s best comeback tales by main Seattle Seahawks to Tremendous Bowl glory

Sam Darnold went to New York and lived to inform the story. Misplaced like Macaulay, on maintain to the Ghostbusters, risen just like the Darkish Knight.

It’s much less rags to riches, however slightly mono to magic, Gotham to glory, ‘silly’ Sam (his phrases) to Tremendous Bowl Sam.

Sport lives for tales like that of Sam Darnold. A story of profession redemption, a jagged arc that preserves the artwork of shock, a pointy jab to the throat of untimely prophets. They do not come round all that always anymore, for sport lives in determined search of confirmed portions and identified commodities in an period of no-stone-unturned evaluation and preparation, rash to scarper on the sight of adversity and all too obsessive about immediacy – thanks lots, elite-straight-away Patrick Mahomes.

There, in fact, can also be the fact of damning circumstances, the definition of which was and is the New York Jets.

For 2 weeks Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and Pete Carroll could have witnessed the footballing world revel within the ‘why did not they run it?!’ reminiscence of Malcolm Butler’s iconic goalline interception at Tremendous Bowl 49. And for 2 weeks Darnold could have witnessed the footballing world bear in mind the time he was “seeing ghosts” and the notorious Mononucleosis analysis whereas portray the image of his revival from ridicule to the ridiculous.

On Sunday he leads the Seattle Seahawks out towards the New England Patriots in Tremendous Bowl 60 with the chance to crown one of many NFL and sport’s best particular person comeback tales. On Sunday comes THE reminder to younger quarterbacks throughout soccer that early setbacks needn’t imply finality. On the identical time, to recommend such a comeback might be so routine, so frequent can be a disservice to Darnold’s magnificence.

Eight seasons, 5 groups and some profession obituaries later, he’s on the high.

As soon as upon a time an unofficial ‘Suck for Sam’ marketing campaign struck school soccer as followers of the NFL’s worst and weary warmed to the concept of tanking for the Heisman Trophy-contending USC quarterback projected, at the very least on the time, to go No 1 total on the Draft.

Darnold had delivered a breakout season at school in 2016 when he threw for 3,086 yards and 31 touchdowns to 9 interceptions in 13 video games (9 begins), earlier than being voted first-team All-Pac-12 in 2017 after going 303 of 480 passing for 4,143 yards and 26 touchdowns whereas main USC to a Convention Championship.

He had enamoured with the fizzing arm expertise, clean progressions, good pocket really feel, strain evasion, off-platform prowess, scientific ball placement and a fearless aggression to assault all ranges of the sector, all of which was projected as the best recipe to a beginning NFL quarterback, ultimately. Turnover points stemming from inconsistent accuracy and poor decision-making fuelled some issues, however for some time Darnold would loom because the main alternative.

“I don’t think any team should tank their season because of me,” stated Darnold in 2017.

Certain about that?

Darnold landed with the New York Jets because the third total choose on the 2018 NFL Draft, that includes amongst 5 first-round quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield went to Cleveland at No 1 total, Darnold adopted at No 3, the Buffalo Payments chosen Josh Allen at No 7, the Arizona Cardinals drafted Josh Rosen at No 10 and Lamar Jackson was the thirty second total choose to the Baltimore Ravens. It’s a cohort that now consists of three MVP awards courtesy of Jackson (2019, 2023) and Allen (2024), however it will likely be Darnold who turns into the primary to start out at a Tremendous Bowl this weekend.

He lately made the purpose of noting he was truly the primary of the lot to go to a Tremendous Bowl when he served as backup with the San Francisco 49ers on the highway to Tremendous Bowl LVIII, the place they had been overwhelmed by Mahomes’ Kansas Metropolis Chiefs on the finish of the 2023 season.

On the age of 21 years and 97 days he grew to become the youngest quarterback to start out a season opener within the Tremendous Bowl period on his full Jets debut in 2018. His first-ever regular-season cross would finish in a pick-six by Quandre Diggs, earlier than he threw two touchdowns to guide the Jets to a 48-17 win over the Detroit Lions. That may have been the primary warning of the following profession fluctuation.

The ball safety chinks at school recommended he had in all probability been in want of some understudy time with which to regulate his eyes to NFL coverages on the sidelines. As a substitute he had been tossed right into a workforce nursing the injuries of back-to-back 5-11 seasons underneath Todd Bowles, who was fired following Darnold’s rookie marketing campaign.

By November 2018 he was admitting to “playing stupid” after 4 interceptions in a 13-6 loss to the Miami Dolphins, ending the season 239 of 414 passing (57.7 per cent) for two,865 yards and 17 touchdowns to fifteen interceptions because the Jets completed 4-12. By September 2019 he grew to become the unwelcome butt of jokes after a comically in-your-face ESPN graphic introduced he was ‘out indefinitely’ with mononucleosis, the ‘kissing illness’. Only a month later he was captured admitting to “seeing ghosts” on the sideline as he threw 4 interceptions in a 35-0 blowout defeat to the Patriots, ending his sophomore marketing campaign with 13 picks and 11 fumbles.

Cue the barrage of write-off scoffing, the league chuckling on the sight of one other Jets mishap amid their four-decade-long quest to seek out a solution at quarterback amid soccer’s longest energetic playoff drought. The Jets had Jets’ed once more, and the way rapidly Darnold’s school spark had been snuffed out.

“I almost forgot about it, so thanks. No, you’re good,” stated Darnold, reminded of his ‘ghost’ remark following Seattle’s NFC Championship Recreation victory. “I think for me, there was a lot that I didn’t know back then, so I’m just going to continue to learn and grow in this great game.”

A sinking ship had been anchored deeper by Bowles’ successor Adam Gase because the Jets slumped to 7-9 after which 2-14 throughout his two seasons in cost. Darnold posted simply 2,208 passing yards and 9 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in 2020, throughout which Jets followers had been already banging the ‘Tank for Trevor’ drum as Clemson’s consensus No 1 choose Trevor Lawrence ready to enter the NFL.

The Jets went and Jets’ed it up, anyway. Having sat with a 0-13 file and in pole place to clinch the No 1 choose, Gase’s workforce conjured a ‘huh?!’ of an upset towards the Los Angeles Rams to in the end price themselves high spot. It will pave the way in which for the Jacksonville Jaguars to assert their new lusciously-locked face of the franchise.

By way of three seasons Darnold had gone 13-25 as a starter whereas throwing 39 interceptions and coughing up 20 fumbles. He was subsequently traded to the Carolina Panthers, coming off a 5-11 maiden marketing campaign underneath Matt Rhule, for a 2021 sixth-round choose and 2022 second and fourth-round alternatives.

Fittingly, it will likely be Darnold’s alternative in New York who takes as a lot inspiration as anyone from his predecessor’s profession resurrection. The Jets turned to Zach Wilson with the No 2 choose after lacking out on Lawrence, underneath the spell – like loads of analysts and observers on the time – of the BYU quarterback’s arm expertise in pad-less, coverage-devoid Professional Days. Wilson endured his personal depressing Jets chapter, and has since hopped round backup roles with the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins. A time, a chance will come once more, Darnold would inform him.

In hindsight, the prospect of a restoration underneath Rhule was a non-starter. Darnold began 11 video games in his first season with the Panthers, a fractured scapula derailing the second half of the 12 months as he completed 4-7 after throwing 9 touchdowns to 13 interceptions whereas sharing time with Cam Newton underneath heart. He was then resigned to a backup position behind previous Draft class mate Mayfield and began simply six video games in 2022 earlier than changing into a free agent.

For all of the promise he displayed late within the season with the Panthers, Darnold’s profession was in a gap of accelerating depth and with a ladder lacking key rungs amid his seek for an escape-meets-break. However his fortune was about to show, and he was about to realize his finest schooling since getting into the NFL.

Alongside got here Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers and an overdue publicity to actual NFL offense. Darnold returned to California, leapfrogged Trey Lance and spent the season as backup to Brock Purdy whereas 2022’s Mr Irrelevant led his facet to the Tremendous Bowl. Darnold began only one sport, however even then his time within the Bay is perhaps deemed as useful as something he had seen over the earlier 5 seasons.

“I mean, Steve Young took a while to get going, and he’s one of the best quarterbacks of all time,” Shanahan informed native media in San Francisco upon his arrival. “I don’t like to compare anyone to Steve, cause of how good he is, but why can’t Sam be like that? He’s got that type of ability. He is that type of person. And I’m just pumped that we could get a talented guy like him here.”

Come 2024 Darnold formally arrived. The Minnesota Vikings signed him to a one-year deal in view of offering a veteran thoughts with which to help J.J. McCarthy, solely to see their first-round rookie quarterback go down injured in preseason – it was time. Darnold began all the season, thriving underneath head coach Kevin O’Connell, purring in unison with Justin Jefferson and changing the momentum of Brian Flores’ protection whereas posting a 14-3 file to steer Minnesota to the playoffs.

Soccer may hardly imagine what had unfolded. It had seen Geno Smith emerge from the darkness in Seattle, it had seen a reborn Baker Mayfield punish Cleveland for casting him apart, and it was seeing Darnold play his means in the direction of tens of millions of {dollars}. A prolific marketing campaign, although, would finish in a nine-sack defeat to the Rams on his postseason debut as ghosts of the previous reared their ugly head. Had all of it been a coach-fuelled one-off, Darnold the beneficiary of O’Connell wizardry? Division, uncertainty, apprehension was each the results of Darnold’s early years and the extent at which complete eras and jobs hinge on making a call at quarterback.

In the long run, recently-fired Vikings Common Supervisor Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell risked placing their religion in McCarthy upon his return from damage as free agent Darnold as an alternative headed to Seattle on a three-year $100.5m deal. The Seahawks themselves had in the meantime been met by some exterior confusion after permitting Smith to depart in gentle of his personal comeback path. Seems John Schneider bought it spot on.

Because the Seahawks gear up for the Tremendous Bowl, the Vikings face an offseason during which to debrief over McCarthy’s turbulent season. That obvious debrief simply noticed Adofo-Mensah lose his job.

“Having a quarterback that’s already had a season under his belt with us, knew the plays, knew the playbook, knew the players. Of course, throwing to me, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, I definitely felt like we would’ve done better,” Vikings receiver Jefferson informed USA Right this moment lately.

Yikes.

Darnold simply grew to become the second quarterback in NFL historical past to file back-to-back 14-win seasons, behind a sure Tom Brady. He completed the common season 323 of 477 passing (67.7 per cent) for 4,048 yards (fifth-most within the NFL) and 25 touchdowns to 14 interceptions within the No 3-ranked scoring offense in soccer.

By mid-season he was within the thick of MVP competition whereas executing a balanced and high-powered Klint Kubiak assault during which Jaxon Smith-Njigba would announce himself among the many NFL’s premier huge receivers; Darnold was shredding groups with throws off-platform and from play-action, he was layering passes with professional contact and daring his arm expertise towards harmful home windows, he was dealing from funky angles and navigating the pocket with eyes-down-field poise and really feel. Mixed with Mike Macdonald’s throttling protection, it might assist Seattle clinch the NFC West and the No 1 seed as essentially the most full workforce in soccer. With an unflattering tally of turnovers got here one of many main threats of explosive performs within the league as Darnold flipped fields by the use of Smith-Njigba and mid-season addition Rashid Shaheed.

“We know that he’s capable of doing great things and more than we can think of. So we’re going to ride with Sam, and that’s my dog. Whatever he needs, I got him,” Smith-Njigba informed Sky Sports activities.

And but the league puzzled if it was nonetheless for actual, whether or not an implosion was pending, whether or not the clock was working out. The true examination awaited within the NFC Championship Recreation towards the Rams, who had intercepted him 4 occasions within the Seahawks’ 21-19 defeat earlier within the season. In truth, the Rams had sacked him 19 occasions and compelled him to show the ball over eight occasions over the previous two seasons alone.

Darnold determined to show within the efficiency of his life, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns – all of which got here when underneath strain – in a turnover-free outing. Matthew Stafford performed out of his pores and skin, however Darnold by no means blinked on the largest stage of his profession.

“Sam Darnold has had the best game of his season,” stated Tom Brady on commentary. “Today, he has been absolutely flawless in his decision making and so accurate. There is nothing better than playing your best game in the biggest moment of your life.”

Darnold is enjoying just like the quarterback he all the time knew he might be, on the stage he all the time believed he may attain. That he has retained the identical pre-Draft confidence in his capability after 5 years spent in New York and Carolina is sort of the quarterbacking miracle.

“We love Sam,” security Julian Love informed Sky Sports activities. “He’s special. He got a bad rap early in his career on a bad team – this is not that.

“He exhibits up. He works exhausting. He will get in early. He leaves late. He is a superb teammate. He is a superb chief for us. We’ve Sam’s again to the fullest.”

All arrows pointed in the direction of journeyman territory, one other Jets sufferer and considered one of many excessive Draft picks that had slumped to irrelevance.

He hasn’t been a bystander or a puppet, however as an alternative a pilot to Kubiak’s offense. And he’s nonetheless additionally simply 28, along with his most affluent years probably forward.

It’s the Patriots, towards whom he noticed these pesky ghosts, that stand between him and one of many best tales in Tremendous Bowl folklore.

Watch the New England Patriots towards the Seattle Seahawks in Tremendous Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on Sunday February 8, with protection underneath means at 10pm stay on Sky Spots NFL forward of kick-off at roughly 11.30pm.