Feb. 8, 2026, 10:00 p.m. PT<\/p>\n
The San Francisco 49ers didn’t play in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, but Seattle Seahawks<\/a> quarterback Sam Darnold gave them some credit for helping him reset his career trajectory from draft bust to Super Bowl champion.<\/p>\n During Seattle’s 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday Darnold completed 19-of-38 throws for 202 yards and one touchdown. After the game he tipped his cap to 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and head coach Kyle Shanahan for their help during his one year with San Francisco.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s funny how it works<\/a>,” Darnold said in his post-game press conference (h\/t 95.7 the Game<\/a>). “I didn\u2019t play great football the first few years of my career. Then I come here to San Francisco and I learned a ton. And I think because of that year in San Francisco I was able to learn a ton. Learn from Brock and coach Shanahan. And I was able to kind of learn and go to Minnesota and play good football there. I was able to come to Seattle and do the same. So, it’s funny how things work, but that’s life. I’m gonna continue to keep working.”<\/p>\n Darnold didn’t get a ton of opportunities to play in San Francisco, throwing only 46 passes across 10 games with one start. However, he joined the 49ers after three rough seasons with the New York Jets and two lackluster seasons with the Carolina Panthers<\/a>. His goal was to get his career back on track and he did so with the 49ers and parlayed that year into an eventual Super Bowl run that happened to end with the QB holding the Lombardi Trophy at Levi’s Stadium.<\/p>\n More 49ers: Steve Young has perfect reaction to former 49ers’ reason for leaving<\/a><\/p>\n