The Seahawks quarterback was once seen as just another high-profile quarterback bust. But now he is one win from clinching the NFL title
For the teams, the reality of the Super Bowl hits like deja vu: a ritual they’ve watched and fantasized about for years suddenly arrives, sucking them into its vast, chaotic center.
For Sam Darnold, though, it’s a reality come full circle. San Francisco, after all, was the city that gave him a chance after he crashed and burned in New York and washed out in Carolina, long after most around the NFL had consigned him to history’s pile of first-round draft busts.
As part of the 49ers two years ago, Darnold watched from the sideline as the team’s starter, Brock Purdy, fell short of leading San Francisco past Kansas City. But he had done enough in relief appearances to get picked up by Minnesota, where he had an unlikely bounce-back year before joining the Seattle Seahawks. Now, the Orange County native stands on the verge of closing his redemption arc in Sunday’s Super Bowl against the New England Patriots – an outcome most had long since given up on. “I grew up watching a ton of great football players and teams get to this moment and make great plays,” Darnold said earlier this week. “I was always emulating those plays in my yard with friends. I always dreamed of moments like this.”
