Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold showed his gratitude for fans who have stuck by him throughout his career.
Darnold was drafted by the New York Jets in 2018, but flamed out and bounced around the league before winning Super Bowl LX with the Seahawks on Feb. 8. He has had a soft spot for the Jets, and fans have followed his career ever since. Darnold thanked them for their support and expressed regret that he could not find success there.
As part of his championship press tour, Darnold was in Seattle promoting Raising Cane’s. A reporter asked him if he had a message for fans who have been following him since his time with the Jets. Darnold responded with a heartfelt “thank you.”
“That’s all you can ask for as a player, is to feel supported, especially by the team that drafted me,” he said. “I always look at myself and feel like I could’ve done a lot more for that franchise when I was there, and the fact that they’re are able to support me, even through that, means a lot.”
Darnold was drafted third overall by the Jets out of USC in the 2018 NFL Draft, but his time in New York was marred by injuries and general struggles.
He went 13-25 in three seasons as a starter, throwing for 8,907 yards and 45 touchdowns to 39 interceptions. He added 417 yards on the ground with 5 TDs. He missed 10 games over that time period: a foot injury in his rookie season, a bout of mononucleosis in 2019, and a shoulder illness in 2020. The Jets traded him to the Carolina Panthers in 2021.
Despite never finding success as a starter with the Jets, Darnold has always treated the organization with grace, rejecting the narrative that organizations fail to build around their quarterbacks and putting his struggles down to himself.
“I had a lot of opportunities in New York, I always felt like I could’ve played better there,” he said at a press conference in October 2024, when he was with the Minnesota Vikings, ahead of their 23-17 win over the Jets.
At the Seahawks’ trophy celebration at Lumen Field on Feb. 11, Darnold thanked the Seahawks faithful for believing in him as he led the team to a championship.
“I’ve talked a lot this last week about belief. A lot of people didn’t believe in me, but it didn’t matter because the ones that are close believed in me, including [the fans]. I appreciate you all so much,” he said.
“That short list also includes [owner] Jody Allen, [general manager] John Schneider, [head coach] Mike McDonald. I appreciate the belief you all had in me for signing me this past year. And last but certainly not least, these players, man, for believing in me. I wouldn’t be here without these guys.”
Backup quarterback Drew Lock also paid his respects to his former team last week.
Lock was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2019 Draft. He spent three years in Denver before being dealt to Seattle as part of the Russell Wilson trade. He spent two years with the Seahawks, then signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants, before returning to Seattle as Darnold’s backup.
During Super Bowl media week, Lock was asked by a Denver sports radio reporter about the fans supporting him despite his early career struggles. Like Darnold, he also expressed his gratitude to those fans and his former teammates.
“I appreciate the ones that have my back. It wasn’t always great. There’s a lot of great moments, couple [of] tough moments. But I felt the love from the city of Denver,” Lock said.
“We loved living there. It’s where we bought our first home. It’s a special place, holds a special place in my heart, and I appreciate those fans that always have my back.”
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