Super Bowl 2026: Derek Hall is ‘blessed’ to win title with Seattle Seahawks

After a rocky start to his NFL career, Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold seemed destined to become a backup.

But after leading the Minnesota Vikings to the playoffs last season, the Seahawks became his fifth team in eight years — and third in three years — to win American sports’ biggest award in his first season in Seattle.

“My teammates and coaches have believed in me since the first training camp, and every day we come to work,” the 28-year-old Darnold said.

“I shared a great moment with my dad and my fiancée Katie after the game and I think that’s what made me feel a little bit better. I told my mum and dad, ‘I’m here because of the confidence they have in me.’

“Some people called me crazy throughout my career for believing in myself so much, but that was because of my father. It allowed me to go out and play freely and have a lot of confidence.”

“On offense, I feel like we didn’t play as well as we could have played. I definitely didn’t, but our defense and special teams had our backs.”

Seattle also signed Cooper Kupp in the offseason and earned his second Super Bowl win, after being the Most Valuable Player (MVP) when the Los Angeles Rams became NFL champions in 2022.

“My wife was the first one to believe in me,” the wide receiver said. “She thinks this story was written a long time ago.

“I would say I was a total believer in it and I believed in it too, but there were some tough times. Anna believed this is what we came to Seattle to do.”

“It’s an incredible story. To be in this place, it’s sacred ground.”