Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl 60 Champions

February 10, 2026

My Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl 60 champions. Who would have thought that would be a reality one year ago. Of course every 12 right now is going to say, “I KNEW WE WERE GOING TO WIN IT ALL FROM THE START,” and I might be one of them. But peeling back the fandom, I have to admit that this feeling was not something I thought we would be able to experience for another year or so. I truly believed prior to the season that we were going to see the Eagles, Rams, or Packers represent the NFC. And it was not because I thought the Seahawks were a bad team. There were just so many moving parts at the beginning of the season that it felt like the 2025 team was the draft before the final essay John and Mike were trying to write to get us to the Super Bowl.

The Eagles were the defending champs. The Rams had momentum from the previous year. The Packers, with the addition of Parsons, seemed unstoppable on paper. I did not think Seattle had enough in the tank to keep up with those teams given all the turnover. But I guess that is why we love the NFL so much, because the expected never occurs. It always finds a way to surprise us. And this year’s surprise, for me and much of the league, was the man, the myth, the legend, SAMMY D.

I want to be the first to publicly apologize to Sam Darnold. I knew he was talented, and I loved the signing when it happened. But I did not think he would be this good. I thought he was a younger version of Geno Smith. And before anyone says, “How could you compare Sam to Geno, Geno was the worst QB in the league this year,” Geno was not bad last year with Seattle. He was aight. Not good, not bad, just an average NFL starter. He got the job done, but he did not elevate the team. And I thought Sam would be the same. Good enough to keep us in playoff contention, but not good enough to get us past the Rams, Eagles, or Packers.

And to be fair, Sam’s regular season stats were very similar to Geno’s in 2024. Sam had 4,048 passing yards, 95 rushing yards, 25 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, a 67.7 percent completion rate, and a 99.1 passer rating. Geno in 2024 had 4,320 passing yards, 272 rushing yards, 23 total touchdowns, 15 interceptions, a 70.4 percent completion rate, and a 93.2 passer rating. That is roughly the same level of performance. For reference, Matthew Stafford, who won MVP this season, had 4,707 passing yards, 46 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, and a 109.2 passer rating. So expecting Sam to be similar to Geno statistically was not crazy.

And again, I really liked Sam coming out of USC. He had the talent, the confidence, and solid decision making. The only concern I ever had with Sam, and it did show up at times this season, was that he could be reckless with the football. The turnovers always had me on edge. And this was similar to Geno, but in a different way. Geno was inconsistent. Sam was reckless. It was a little Favre-like. He trusted his arm and his ability maybe a bit too much. The read might be right, but the window was too tight. He would be a beat late or early, or he would hold the ball just long enough to put it in harm’s way. That was why I struggled to fully buy in.

And for most of the season, those concerns were front and center. The Week 1 fumble against the 49ers on a potential game winning drive. The Week 5 interception against the Buccaneers in another game winning situation. And of course, the disaster in Week 11 against the Rams. Even in wins, like Week 2 against Pittsburgh, Week 7 against Houston (I was there), and Week 16 against the Rams (I was also there), it was concerning how often Sam would make an untimely mistake that either cost us the game or kept an opponent alive when they should have been put away. For about fourteen and a half games, I did not think Seattle was a Super Bowl contender. And then came that Week 16 Rams game.

I will never forget that night. I was sitting right at the ten yard line on the north side of the stadium on that Thursday. It felt like the game was in our control. Solid first half. K9 scored early in the third quarter. One possession game. Sam was playing clean football, and the defense had the Rams under control. And then Sam threw what was basically a pick six to Josh Wallace. It felt like the air was sucked out of the stadium as the Rams took a 30 to 14 lead.

Going into the fourth quarter, winning felt unlikely, but there was still hope. It was a two possession game, and Seattle was driving. Third and goal from the six. The entire stadium was on edge. It was now or never. And right in front of me, out of nowhere, Kobie Turner dropped back and intercepted Sam. That felt like the dagger. Fans started leaving. The Rams fans in front of me, who were very intoxicated, were laughing and heckling us. It felt over. Another season where we were good enough to make the playoffs but not good enough to matter.

But for some reason, as the Rams fans kept chirping, I pointed to the clock. 9:39. If there is one thing I have learned from watching football, it is that the game is not over until it hits 0:00. Down two scores. Plenty of time. All we needed was a spark. And OH BOY did we get one.

If there is one play that turned this season around, it was Rasheed Shaheed’s punt return touchdown. I have been in that stadium countless times, and I have never heard it explode like that. That play flipped everything. But honestly, it was not the touchdown itself. It was the two point conversion Sammy threw to Kupp.

Go back and watch that throw. Watch the reactions afterward. That was one of the hardest throws in football. A throw that requires insane trust and precision. And it felt like that was the moment Sam finally relaxed. Not because he doubted his talent before, but because he knew the team truly had his back. We already knew he was loved in the locker room. Ernest Jones defending Sam earlier in the season was one of the most powerful moments of the year. But something changed internally for Sammy in that moment. The game slowed down.

From there, Sam put the team on his back. After all the mistakes. After all the doubt. To come back, force overtime, and then win the game after the defense gave up a touchdown to Puka, that was the moment. That was when we knew. THAT IS OUR GUY. And it showed in the biggest stages, especially when Sammy went toe to toe against Stafford in the NFC Championship game (I was also at this game lol) and again in the Super Bowl. Games where he had 0 turnovers. And that was what I think is the biggest the difference between Geno and Sammy. In Sammy we believed. The team bought in. The fans bought in. Sam bought in. And the rest is history.

Yes, John’s roster construction mattered. Mike’s coaching mattered. The KING, JSN having one of the greatest seasons by a receiver in NFL history mattered. The additions of Zabel, Demanwori, Kupp, Lawrence, and Shaheed mattered. The defense becoming historically dominant mattered. But what separated this team was trust. No egos. Total humility. Everyone pulling in the same direction. From ownership to the equipment staff, I have never seen a Seahawks team this connected, especially post Super Bowl loss, until this 2025 group. That is a testament to the vision Mike, John, and Jody built in just two years, and the players they brought in who truly embody what it means to be a Seahawk.

Now the page turns to 2026. A lot of big decisions ahead. A lot of tough decisions ahead. But in Mike and John I trust. I have my opinions on how this roster should be built and who should be targeted this offseason (go get Maxx Crosby). But that can wait until after the parade.

GO HAWKS!!!