Before New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye takes on the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl, he took his chance to give props to the opposing quarterback.
That’s Sam Darnold, who landed in the same draft spot as Maye years before in 2018. Their careers have gone differently thus far otherwise, but they will both make their Super Bowl debuts as starters on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
“Big fan of Sam. What a journey. What a career he’s had, just to battle the life of the NFL, and knowing that his first opportunity, obviously, he got put in a scenario where they decided to move on,” Maye told reporters on Monday. “And from there, he’s made ’em pay ever since. He’s battled not playing for years, and being the backup to getting his chance and just making the most of it. It’s been awesome to see.”
The New York Jets took Darnold with the No. 3 pick in 2018, but things didn’t work out for the former USC star. Darnold then struggled with the Carolina Panthers and sat behind Brock Purdy with the San Francisco 49ers, followed by a career turnaround with the Minnesota Vikings.
That ultimately led to his time in Seattle, where he has the Seahawks rolling with a 16-3 mark overall this season.
Drake Maye: ‘What Makes the League so Special’
As much as no one saw the Patriots coming this far this soon, no one expected Darnold to lead the Seahawks this far either.
Despite Darnold’s turnaround in Minnesota, his final two games in purple were a disaster with a Week 18 loss in 2024, which cost the team the No. 1 seed. Then, Darnold took frequent hits and lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round.
Seattle took a chance on Darnold with a three-year, $100.5 million, and he delivered throughout in big games all season. That included outdueling Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in the NFC Championship Game.
“People think, what makes the league so special, it’s stories like Sam, who puts his head down, works herd and turned into one of the best quarterbacks in the league, “Maye said. “I’ve gotten to know him a little bit, he’s a great dude. He’s one of the best dudes I’ve met, and looking forward to seeing him on Sunday and seeing him do his thing, but also, at the same time, competing against him.”
New England’s pass rush will need to get to Darnold, and the pass defense will need to limit Darnold’s options — especially star wideout Jaxson Smith-Njigba.
Sam Darnold Has Kind Words For Drake Maye
Darnold similarly had kind words for Maye on Monday at the Super Bowl Opening Night.
“Drake’s a great guy. I was able to spend a little bit of time with him at the Pro Bowl last year, and he’s a great guy. Ann Michael, his wife, is awesome, as well,” Darnold told reporters. “They just got a great family going over there right now, and Drake’s a great dude. … Can’t say enough good things about Drake.”
Patriots’ Drake Maye Sends Heartfelt Message to Seahawks’ Sam Darnold