Seahawks QB Darnold credits mental shift, not a vindication drive, for his success

By Angelica Medina

Feb 3 (Reuters) – Sam Darnold’s transformation from journeyman quarterback to Super Bowl starter represents one of the most stunning turnarounds in recent NFL history. The Seattle Seahawks signal-caller says it stemmed purely from daily dedication.

Did it come from a desire to prove doubters wrong? “It doesn’t really come down to that for me,” Darnold told reporters on Wednesday.

“It’s always just been about putting in the hard work every single day.”

Following disappointing spells with the New York Jets, the Carolina Panthers, and the San Francisco 49ers, Darnold finally appeared to find his feet with the Minnesota Vikings, stepping in after rookie J.J. McCarthy’s pre-season injury.

However, it wasn’t meant to be, as Minnesota decided not to make him their long-term answer, despite him leading them to the playoffs and earning Pro Bowl honors. This pushed him to sign with Seattle as a free agent.

Now, four days before facing the New England Patriots in Sunday’s championship game at Levi’s Stadium, the 28-year-old reflects on a journey defined by perseverance and mental growth.

“I was really hard on myself early in my career,” Darnold added. “After a bad rep or a bad practice, I would let it kind of affect my attitude a little bit.”

His breakthrough required a fundamental shift in how he processed failure and the turning point came when he embraced imperfection, citing Jerry Rice’s philosophy that even the Hall of Fame wide receiver never had a perfect practice or game.

“Once you understand that, truly understand that, you can go out there and just play free … That really unlocked something for me mentally,” Darnold said. 

He also explained that his improvement accelerated in the season’s second half when he stopped forcing throws and started trusting Seattle’s defence to keep games close.

“That’s a big key for me as a quarterback … just moving on to the next play and letting our special teams and our defense go to work.”

On Tuesday, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald credited Darnold’s resilience and the team’s organizational philosophy for the quarterback’s remarkable resurgence.

“Sam has got to this point. We’re there to help, as with all our players,” Macdonald told reporters. “But I think Sam’s story is a little bit more in the limelight than all of our stories, but that’s made him who he is today.”

(Reporting by Angelica Medina in San Francisco; Editing by Sonali Paul)