Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold will compete in Super Bowl LX after leading the Seattle Seahawks to a win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in the NFC Championship game.

Reaching the Super Bowl is a incredible accomplishment for Darnold, a player that has the rare distinction of being labeled a two-time bust.

Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, had a very slow start to his NFL career.

The former USC standout went 13-25 as the New York Jets’ starting quarterback from 2018 to 2020. Darnold was traded to the Panthers ahead of the 2021 season.

Unfortunately for Darnold, he didn’t find much success in Charlotte either, going 8-9 over two seasons while battling injuries.

After a reset year with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023, Darnold rejuvenated his career with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, throwing for a career-high 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns.

Darnold signed a three year deal with Seattle worth $100.5 million ahead of the 2025 season.

Panthers legend Jake Delohmme is happy for Sam Darnold

Former Panthers quarterback Jake Delohmme recently spoke to Casino Beats about Darnold.

The former Carolina quarterback made it clear that he’s happy to see Darnold enjoying success in Seattle, while also noting that the Panthers weren’t necessarily set up for success during Darnold’s time in Charlotte.

“I’m super excited for Sam,” said Delhomme. “Great human being. He goes to Carolina for two years and was 8-9 as a starter, which is actually pretty good. That was a tough time. Matt Rhule was hired there, and the direction of the franchise, not really sure if it was pointing in (the right) direction.

“It just was all over the place. And so I thought Sam played decent football. He really and truly did for us. I just don’t know roster-wise if we were there yet, to be very honest.”

 “Very proud of Sam,” added Delohmme. “Happy for Sam. I like to see guys that do things the right way get rewarded, and he’s getting rewarded.”

Delohmme also noted that he liked what he saw from Darnold during his time in Carolina.

“Very confident in himself,” said Delohmme when asked how Darnold carried himself with the Panthers. “Good-looking kid. And what I mean by that, he looks the part, right? He’s going to pass the eyeball test. Big, strong, tough. Sam was a good player for us. I mean, really did some good things, but we were really and truly trying to find our way in Carolina.”

Sometimes a change of scenery is all that a player needs. The talent has always been there for Darnold, and now we’re seeing the 28 year old quarterback finally reach his potential. And he’s about to play on the biggest stage possible.

Pretty impressive for a two-time bust.

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