Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has a new role away from the football field after helping bring a Super Bowl championship back to Seattle.
Darnold appeared in a new Alaska Airlines promotion that he shared to his personal Instagram account on August 20. The advertisement promotes the Seattle-based airline’s growing international presence, including service to destinations such as Paris and Athens.
“A new season is here and we’re changing the game,” the advertisement says. “Alaska, you’re cleared for takeoff.”
The campaign comes amid a dramatic rise in Darnold’s profile since he arrived in Seattle in 2025.
The Traveler reported on August 20 that Alaska Airlines has entered a multi-year partnership with Darnold centered on Seattle and the airline’s expanding global network.
It gives Darnold another prominent role in the Pacific Northwest only six months after he helped the Seahawks win Super Bowl LX.
Sam Darnold’s Seattle Rise Extends Beyond Football
Darnold signed a three-year, $100.5 million contract with Seattle in March 2025 after resurrecting his career with the Minnesota Vikings. The deal included $55 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero.
What followed changed the trajectory of Darnold’s career again.
Seattle went 14-3, earned the NFC’s No. 1 seed and ultimately beat the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX on February 8. Darnold threw Seattle’s only offensive touchdown in the championship game, connecting with tight end AJ Barner after a Patriots turnover.
The title made Darnold a Super Bowl-winning starting quarterback after years in which his NFL future appeared far less certain.
He entered the league as the No. 3 overall pick of the New York Jets in 2018, later spent time with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers, and rebuilt his career during his lone season in Minnesota before joining Seattle.
Now his standing in his adopted city is showing up beyond the football field.
The Alaska Airlines campaign also arrives as the carrier expands its own Seattle-based international footprint. Alaska Air Group said in July that it had expanded international service to include transatlantic flights from Seattle to Rome, London and Reykjavík after previously building out other long-haul routes.
For Darnold, the partnership is another indication of how much has changed since he first arrived in Seattle with questions about whether his Minnesota breakthrough could carry over.
Darnold Turning Attention Back to Seahawks’ Title Defense
Darnold’s newest off-field role comes while his primary job is ramping up again.
The Seahawks are preparing to defend their championship, and Darnold has shown encouraging signs during training camp while working in new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury’s system.
Seattle’s official website highlighted Darnold’s growing connection with receiver Rashid Shaheed earlier in camp after the two connected on a deep completion that was described as the offensive play of the day.
That connection continued to draw attention later in camp, with Darnold producing several standout throws during an August 18 practice.
There is also a new challenge for Darnold despite the continuity that comes with returning as Seattle’s starter.
NFL.com identified his adjustment to Fleury’s offense as one of the Seahawks’ major training-camp storylines. Fleury replaced Klint Kubiak after Seattle’s championship season, meaning Darnold is attempting to build on the best year of his career while learning the differences in another offensive system.
The stakes become more tangible over the next several weeks.
Seattle visits the Tennessee Titans on August 23 and the Kansas City Chiefs on August 28 to finish the preseason before opening its regular-season title defense against the New England Patriots on September 9.
So while Darnold’s newest appearance has nothing to do with throwing touchdowns, it arrives at a notable point in his Seattle tenure.
A year ago, he was attempting to prove the Seahawks were right to make him their starting quarterback.
Now he’s a Super Bowl champion, the returning QB1, and increasingly, a recognizable Seattle figure away from football too.
Seahawks Star Sam Darnold Lands New Role Before NFL Season