Brewer: Sam Darnold has his home now

Published 1:30 am Monday, January 26, 2026

SEATTLE — At some point, we stopped believing in second-chance quarterbacks. We began to expect microwavable stardom at football’s most merciless position, even though redemptive dreamers grace history.

From Jim Plunkett to Doug Flutie to Steve Young, growth was seldom linear. From Brett Favre to Kurt Warner to Drew Brees, first impressions proved flimsy. Over 106 NFL seasons, quarterback fame has more often been earned slowly than seized instantly. Yet, in an era of accelerated verdicts and diminished patience, Sam Darnold’s redemption feels almost unbelievable.

It’s real, though. It’s as real as all the red atop his head.

In his eighth season, on his fifth team, Darnold has a home now. And his star is glowing the way draftniks envisioned when the New York Jets selected him No. 3 overall in 2018. After the performance of his life Sunday in the NFC Championship Game, he is headed to Super Bowl LX, where the Seattle Seahawks will be the favorite, not in spite of him but partly because of him.

All of a sudden, the bust is a beast. Darnold just threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns, going dime for dime with probable MVP Matthew Stafford, in a 31-27 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

All of a sudden, Darnold has a 30-7 record over the past two seasons, including his first two playoff victories during this Seattle run. At the end of a 2025 season that was brutal for many of the game’s most celebrated quarterbacks, the man former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch calls “Ginger Cuz” stood before a Lumen Field crowd of 68,773 and lifted the George Halas Trophy with one hand. He looked natural. He looked unmoved by the enormity of the accomplishment.

Two years ago, Darnold had been relegated to backup duty after flaming out in New York and crumbling in Carolina. A year ago, he was considered a too-good-to-be-true wonder in Minnesota, leading the Vikings to a 14-3 regular season and then wilting under the Rams’ defensive pressure during a playoff loss in which he was sacked nine times.

Just two weeks ago, he was labeled a guy who couldn’t win the big game, and on top of that, he had an oblique injury to manage. Today, we have no choice but to appreciate his resilience.

“Everyone wants to make a narrative about this guy, but he’s been the same guy since he walked in the door,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “You don’t want me writing the stories because I would not write the narratives out there. This guy is the man, and his teammates love him, and he’s competitive as crap, and he’s tough. He’s really talented, and he’s a winner. That would be the story. So don’t let me write the story.”

Macdonald, a leading defensive mind, couldn’t author a game plan to stop the Rams. The Seahawks allowed 479 yards (and 8.3 yards per play!) to Los Angeles a month after giving up 581 to the same team. In Sean McVay, Macdonald encountered an offensive strategist who could handle the confusion that the Seahawks defense creates. If Macdonald had a one-dimensional team, he would’ve been in trouble. But the Seahawks are as well-rounded as it gets. They won with special teams. And they won with Darnold.

He delivered the ball to wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (10 catches, 153 yards, one touchdown) all night. Seven receivers caught passes. He found Jake Bobo, who had just two receptions in the regular season, for a 17-yard touchdown. He utilized Cooper Kupp and running back Kenneth Walker III in the passing game. He went deep to Rashid Shaheed for a 51-yard gain.

“For him to overcome (what he) had to overcome, I’m rolling with Sam all day,” Smith-Njigba said. “We believe in him. This building believes in him. This city believes in him. It’s awesome to run out on the field with him.”

Early in his career, Darnold failed. But he shouldn’t have been dismissed so breathlessly as a failure. Quarterbacks must be developed, not anointed. While patience doesn’t guarantee success, impatience can be a dangerous distortion. Some players are so talented that they rise above the poor organizations that draft them. Some get ruined before they blossom. And some can be fixed by the right organization.

In his last three stops, Darnold went to San Francisco as a backup, where Kyle Shanahan coached him hard. He took advantage of an opportunity in Minnesota, where Kevin O’Connell has gained a QB guru reputation. When he arrived in Seattle, he was ready to be a true franchise quarterback. But it was much easier to doubt than trust.

“I don’t even think there was a monkey on his back,” Seahawks rookie guard Grey Zabel said. “You know, he is a person, and sometimes the cards don’t fall your way. He’s the most deserving guy to have this type of success because I see the work that he puts in. I’m excited now to see what people are going to say about Sam because, to us, he’s the best.”

For Darnold, there is always more to prove. Now that the Rams aren’t his kryptonite, he will face the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Six years ago, his career reached its lowest point against the Patriots on “Monday Night Football” when a microphone caught him saying he was “seeing ghosts” during that game. In Darnold’s climb back to respectability, it figures he would have New England and that storyline next.

“I almost forgot about it,” Darnold joked. “So thanks.”

Typical Darnold, he didn’t shy from the memory.

“No, you’re good,” he told a reporter, before answering the question. “I think, for me, there was a lot that I didn’t know back then, so I’m just going to continue to learn and grow in this great game. There is a lot of stuff that I can get better from today even. I feel like I missed some throws out there that I shouldn’t miss. There were some things offensively that I feel like we can do better. So we’re always looking to get better. I’m always looking to get better. That’s the great part about this game, is you win an NFC championship, and you win games throughout the season, but there (are) always ways that you can look to get better.”

Not long ago, Darnold lived with the hope that tomorrow could be better. Success won’t change him because he knows how fragile it can be. That’s why, when asked about redemption, he declares, “I really haven’t thought about it that much.”

For Darnold, redemption isn’t a moment. It isn’t a single accomplishment, not an NFC title, not even a Super Bowl ring. It’s what happens when persistence outlasts judgment.