Darnold has been through a lot in his career, and he's capped off his storied comeback with a Super Bowl victory.
There was a host of storylines to follow in Super LX as the Seattle Seahawks faced the New England Patriots, and Sam Darnold was the biggest.
As the Seahawks curb-stomped the Patriots 29-13 behind a superb defensive performance, all Darnold had to do was do what he's done this postseason, and that was not turn the ball over.
Which, of course, he didn't.
Sam would finish his first-ever Super Bowl appearance going 19-of-38 for 202 yards and a touchdown, while only taking one sack. Exactly what head coach Mike Macdonald would have wanted.
After being on the NFL scrap heap as a high draft pick and failing with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, Darnold moved on to be a backup with the San Francisco 49ers.
That led to him then getting a chance with the Minnesota Vikings. He led the team to a 14-3 record, but a disastrous playoff loss brought out all the skeptics.
This season, with the Seahawks, another 14-3 regular-season record followed, and again the skeptics were out in force. Even after the NFC Championship game, where Darnold threw for over 300 yards and 3 TDs, some weren't convinced.
What about now? As Darnold is a Super Bowl champion. Surely that has to count for something, right?
But what made Sam confident enough to know that even when times were at their darkest, we would ultimately end up where he is today?
“I think all my teammates, all my coaches I’ve ever had, always believing in me, always believed in myself because of my family and my friends, it’s as simple as that," Darnold said on NBC post-game. "As long as you believe in yourself, anything’s possible.”
And it is that last sentence that should be heard by the younger generation worldwide.
"As long as you believe in yourself, anything's possible," and Darnold just proved it.
A couple of years ago, the NFL world had given up on Darnold, but he didn't give up on himself. He went to work, learned in the shadows, and now, after a tough career to date, he's vindicated.
You hear that? Yeah, me neither. Those skeptics are rather quiet right now, and I'd imagine they will be for some time.
Winning a Super Bowl will do that.