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\u201cWhat a journey,\u201d Maye said at Super Bowl Opening Night. \u201cObviously he got in a scenario where [the Jets] decided to move on, and from there on, he has battled not playing for years, being the backup, getting his chance and making the most of it. It\u2019s been awesome to see.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch a great story. It\u2019s what makes the league so special is stories like Sam that puts his head down, works hard and has turned into one of the best quarterbacks in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even Darnold\u2019s opposition at quarterback understands that he is one of the biggest stories of Super Bowl LX.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not uncommon for players to be labeled as a bust and then turn their careers around as they develop. However, it is highly unusual for a quarterback to go from an early-career bust to a Super Bowl starting quarterback.<\/p>\n
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Darnold wasn\u2019t even signed to be a sure starter by the Minnesota Vikings about 23 months ago. He was going to be a bridge quarterback to first-round rookie J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy got hurt, Darnold took over and had a good season, then he moved onto the Seahawks and led Seattle to a 14-3 regular-season record and an NFC championship. Even though Darnold\u2019s Vikings were 14-3 last season and he played very well, nobody saw him taking Seattle to the Super Bowl in the first year of his three-year, $100.5 million deal.<\/p>\n
Now he\u2019ll start in Super Bowl LX and he\u2019s just 28 years old. He still has plenty of time to add onto his unusual r\u00e9sum\u00e9. How he fares on Sunday will go a long way in shaping his reputation, which wasn\u2019t a positive one just a few years ago. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think you have to embrace failure, and learn from your mistakes,\u201d Darnold said. \u201cLearning from my mistakes early in my career has gotten me to this point.<\/p>\n
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\u201cEvery time you fail or you might lose a game or you might not do exactly what you want to do on every single play, you learn from that. If you learn from that, you can look ahead to better things.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were times in which it didn\u2019t seem like there were better things ahead for him in the NFL. But to Darnold, that\u2019s all part of the journey that brought him here.<\/p>\n
![\"Sam](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/76fc089b-0755-49c8-9c16-67b698d96935.jpeg\"\/)
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Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks looks on during Super Bowl LX Opening Night. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
(Chris Graythen via Getty Images)Sam Darnold\u2019s rare path to the Super Bowl<\/p>\n
Jim Plunkett is probably the best comparison to Darnold, among Super Bowl quarterbacks.<\/p>\n
Plunkett was the first pick of the 1971 NFL Draft, didn\u2019t work out with the Patriots, spent a couple of decent seasons with the 49ers before going to the Raiders, and in his second season with Oakland he took over as the starter. He ended up guiding the Raiders to two Super Bowl titles. Plunkett also had difficulty getting the credit of most Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks \u2014 he and Eli Manning are the only players to start at QB in multiple Super Bowl wins and not be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, among eligible players \u2014 and Darnold faces that battle as well despite plenty of success with the Minnesota Vikings last season and the Seahawks this season.<\/p>\n
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Other quarterbacks have taken circuitous routes to being a Super Bowl starter. Terry Bradshaw had a shaky start to his career before winning four Super Bowls, but the Steelers stuck it out with him whereas Darnold is on his fifth team in eight seasons. Doug Williams was written off and well into his career when he won Super Bowl XXII MVP with Washington, but he did have success early in his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, unlike Darnold. Rich Gannon emerged late in his career to lead the Raiders to a Super Bowl but he was a fourth-round pick. Darnold was picked third overall.<\/p>\n