Sam Darnold's career has been up and down, but he's found a home in Seattle, and his head coach couldn't be happier that he's got a ring to show for his efforts.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, after years of toiling away, dealing with doubters and everything in between, is now a Super Bowl champion.
After beating the New England Patriots 29-13, in a game where Darnold, in truth, didn't have to do too much other than play the role of bus driver, he has now finally gotten the redemption many in the NFL world wanted for him.
On the NFL scrap heap a couple of years ago as a failed first-round pick, Darnold's rise back to the top of the mountain has been a slow one, but one that's made him into the player he is today.
Known for shrinking in big games and being a turnover merchant, this year, in the playoffs, Darnold was the exact opposite.
He did what he needed to do, plus, he didn't have a single turnover in any of Seattle's three playoff games, while throwing for 672 yards and 5 TDs with an average passer rating of 102.4.
Is that good? It seems good.
And as for head coach Mike Macdonald, in talking about his quarterback with NFL Network duo Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport, he couldn't be happier for Darnold.
"Now that's got a good ring to it, Super Bowl-winning quarterback, something that he has for the rest of his life," Macdonald said. "He's earned it. I'm just extremely happy for him. He played a great football game, he's led us every day, now he's got a ring to show for it. It's pretty special."
Pretty special indeed.
In fact, when you look back at Sam's 2018 draft class that consisted of Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson, Darnold is the first quarterback out of all of them to make a Super Bowl, let alone win one.
Now all those skeptics can eat a big dose of humble pie, and Sam's career arc has now taken him to a place in the league where most (aside from Darnold himself) likely never thought he would be.
And that's a Super Bowl champion.
All of the work behind the scenes, forced to sit as a backup in San Francisco, to then go through that disastrous loss in the playoffs in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings, as he was sacked nine times, now Sam's vindicated.
And Macdonald is right.
Sam Darnold, Super Bowl champion, does have a nice ring to it.