“I just naturally kind of learned to be resilient,” Darnold told The Athletic. “I would say my family is a huge part in just my ability to get over things when it’s bad, and they do a good job of keeping me grounded when things are good.”
“No matter if I had a bad game or bad rep or a bad series of plays, I always was able to wake up the next day and be able to move on,” he continued. “Early in my career, I was really hard on myself.”
The Seahawks took home the Super Bowl LX trophy thanks to a Heraclean defense effort from the Seattle team—and the victory marked an incredible career breakthrough for the quarterback, who has bounced between teams for the past eight years.
The first blow came when Darnold was traded by the Jets after being the number three pick of the 2018 NFL draft. He then had to restart all over again when he went from the Panthers to the 49ers as a backup quarterback in 2023—before the end of his sixth season—and once again when he signed with the Seahawks in 2025.
Through the good and the bad, he was able to pick himself up, dust himself off, and be there for his teammates: just like his parents were for him.
Mike Darnold, the father of the Seahawks quarterback, said being dependable was most important in his 30-year career as a medical gas plumber. Passing that lesson onto his son at a young age set him up for a successful career—and he advised all other budding workers to do the same.
