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

Quarterbacks grab all the headlines, for better or for worse, but they simply can’t do it all alone in this ultimate team sport.

Tom Brady regularly had, and needed, top-10 defenses on his team to win Super Bowls, while Patrick Mahomes lost two of them because he got hit hard by opposing defenses.

In Seattle, Darnold found the perfect storm for a team with a front and defensive end assembling a crack unit that would go on to dominate the NFL, needing only a solid quarterback to direct the offense.

The presence of league-leading receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker also helped, and many will say Darnold didn’t have to do much.

He became the first quarterback to enjoy a 14-game winning season with two different teams — only Brady has accomplished that with one team — but questions remain when he led the league in turnovers and handed the ball over 20 times.

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

Darnold has had the fourth-most giveaways in the NFL since being drafted (106) despite spending two years as a reserve, so he once again had to prove himself as he was written off as a liability heading into the postseason.

The response was great as Seattle’s Darnold became the first Super Bowl champion without a turnover in the playoffs.

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

Was it flashy? No. MVP worth? Not even close. But Darnold, now 28, did what he had to do — kept the ball, made plays when needed, and ran the game without being arrogant or trying to be the hero.

No quarterback has ever won a Super Bowl having played for five teams before, but then no quarterback has been counted out that many times and is back on top.

Luck played a role, teams like Minnesota and Seattle jumped at the chance and the Seahawks provided Darnold with everything he could want in a team — and there are probably a slew of quarterbacks in the league he could have won a Super Bowl with this season.

No one has gotten to where Darnold has and not many people have done as much to earn him. The story of his redemption is truly one that will last through the ages.