One of my all-time favorite songs is “Bless the Broken Road.”
I listen to the Rascal Flatts version—which I just learned while writing this blog was actually a cover. Credit to the original songwriters: Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd and Jeff Hanna, who wrote it in the mid-1990s.
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The premise is simple: a man looks back on his past relationships and realizes that every painful, confusing, seemingly pointless heartbreak was actually guiding him to find the love of his life.
The chorus ends with a line that hits every time:
“God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.”
As the Seattle Seahawks ran out the clock on a 29–13 win in Super Bowl LX last night, that song popped into my head.
Not because of its romantic meaning.
But because of Sam Darnold.
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I’ve followed Darnold’s career since his first season as a college starter, and I’d argue his hoisting of the Lombardi Trophy was one of the most satisfying moments in recent NFL history.
Not because he threw the game-winning touchdown pass, or broke a Super Bowl record, or heroically carried his team on his back.
But because he endured—even when every reasonable sign in the universe told him he shouldn’t.
And then he won.
Sam’s beginnings
Darnold wasn’t some anonymous long shot, but he also wasn’t seen as a Trevor Lawrence-level “generational” talent in the eyes of college recruiters.
He was a four-star recruit out of high school in SoCal and committed to play for the local University of Southern California.
He took over at USC as a redshirt freshman—and everything changed.
His stock skyrocketed. The arm talent. The mobility. The playmaking out of structure. By the time he declared for the 2018 NFL Draft, he felt like a can’t-miss prospect.
Quick personal detour. During Darnold’s USC run, I was in high school and obsessed with The Herd on FS1.
The show’s host, Colin Cowherd, loved Sam Darnold. And teenage Michael Horton? He was all in, too.
I still remember the takes:
- “He’s thick and trunky. He can take NFL hits and stay healthy.”
- “He’s SoCal, but he’s blue-collar. Hardworking family. Midwest ethos.”
- “He throws one of the best balls I’ve ever seen.”
I bought every word Cowherd and other draft gurus said while gushing about this kid.
So when the New York Jets took him No. 3 overall in 2018, I thought they had their franchise savior.
Instead, things got a lot more complicated.
Sam’s failure
If you’re unfamiliar with the Jets, let me simplify things: quarterback success goes there to die.
The franchise hasn’t returned to a Super Bowl since 1969. They’ve missed the playoffs every year since 2010. Coaches cycle in and out. Optimism builds, and hope collapses.
Darnold’s three seasons in New York followed the historical script.
13–25 as a starter. 45 touchdowns. 39 interceptions.
Not catastrophic. But not franchise-changing either.
Meanwhile, many of the other quarterbacks taken in the 2018 class flourished.
Josh Allen blossomed into an all-time talent. Lamar Jackson won an NFL MVP Award. Baker Mayfield led the Browns to heights nobody saw coming.
The uncomfortable truth set in: Sam Darnold looked like a miss.
Even I had to admit teenage Michael might’ve been wrong—shocking, I know.
A trade to Carolina didn’t help Darnold’s reputation, and a stint backing up Brock Purdy in San Francisco didn’t lift the public’s perception beyond “solid backup.”
Then came Minnesota—where he was supposed to hold a clipboard behind rookie phenom J.J. McCarthy.
His career arc felt decided: Former top pick. Typical Jets story. Backup quarterback. Cautionary tale.
Then the broken road bent one more time.
Sam’s return
McCarthy tore his ACL in training camp.
Darnold was suddenly the Vikings’ starter. One last shot.
And this time, he didn’t flinch.
He led Minnesota to a 14–3 record. Threw a career-high 35 touchdowns. Made his first Pro Bowl. Looked calmer. More confident in his arm. Different.
Still, after the Vikings went one-and-done in the playoffs, the team remained committed to McCarthy.
So Darnold hit free agency—and this time, he wasn’t signing for backup money.
Seattle gave him three years, $100.5 million.
Not bad for a “draft bust.”
Sam’s salvation
In just his second season returning as a full-time starter, Darnold is a Super Bowl champion.
Did he carry Seattle? Not in the slightest.
The Seahawks’ defense was elite. Kenneth Walker III ran for 135 yards and won Super Bowl MVP. Jason Meyers quietly set an NFL record for most points in a season without scoring a touchdown (171, if you were wondering).
But here’s what matters:
Darnold didn’t implode. He didn’t force throws. He didn’t unravel. He didn’t throw a single interception in the Super Bowl—or the entire 2025 postseason.
The quarterback once labeled as too reckless became reliable. The guy who was mocked for his careless turnovers protected the football when stability mattered most.
That’s the story.
Sam’s broken road—analyzed
Sam Darnold’s career is the textbook definition of a broken road.
A college quarterback who made his NFL dreams come true, only to watch them come crashing down to earth while the peanut gallery mocked his dreams.
He wore the labels of “bust,” “afterthought,” and “backup” for years, patiently waiting for another chance.
And as of last night, he’s earned himself a new label—one that none of the other starting quarterbacks in his draft class have accomplished: champion.
A few months ago, Darnold sat down with Jason Garrett for NBC Sports.
Garrett—a former NFL head coach—read aloud from his original draft report on Sam: strengths, weaknesses, the usual critiques Darnold had heard a thousand times.
Then he got to the final line.
“Not affected by failure.”
Sports aren’t just about talent. They’re about resilience. About who you become when your peers, your critics and even unbiased data are all screaming in harmony that you’re not enough.
Sam got knocked down—publicly, repeatedly, and without mercy. And he kept going.
That’s why this championship feels different. It wasn’t flashy or dominant. Just earned.
God blessed the broken road … that led Sam Darnold straight to a Lombardi Trophy.
That’s why I love sports.