Tom Brady shares what young players considered busts can learn from Seahawks' Sam Darnold ahead of Super Bowl

Last March, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold shared advice for young signal-callers who may be considered busts before they turn 30 years old. Darnold then guided the Seahawks to a 14-3 record and to a Super Bowl LX showdown with the New England Patriots. 

During the latest edition of the "Let's Go!" SiriusXM show and podcast, living legend Tom Brady sent a message to younger players regarding what they can learn from Darnold's NFL experiences.

Sam Darnold's failures prepared him for Super Bowl journey

"Sam’s now taken advantage of his opportunity," Brady explained, per the JoeBucsFan website. "And Sam’s really a football player. He’s a tough, hard-nosed guy. I think he’s built up some resilience from his time in the NFL. He’s become more mentally tough to face the adversities, and that’s the mark of any great player. You just don’t learn from your wins. The reality is you learn more from your failures than you do from your wins."

The "ghosts" that Darnold saw during games after the New York Jets selected him with the third overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft essentially turned him into a punchline by the time he flopped with the Carolina Panthers over the 2021 and 2022 seasons. While he later went 14-3 with the Minnesota Vikings during the 2024 campaign, the moments seemed far too big for him as he lost the final two starts of his Minnesota tenure. 

As recently as this past November, Darnold had to bounce back from throwing four interceptions in Seattle's 21-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11. He has since beaten the Rams twice, and he passed for 346 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the Seahawks' 31-27 NFC Championship Game win over Los Angeles. 

Other young quarterbacks could be "hardened" into following in Sam Darnold's footsteps

"If you can have enough mental toughness to grow your own self-confidence from your losses, you’re gonna be hardened," Brady continued. "You’re gonna be much more prepared for, you know, being the leader of an organization. Because you’re gonna realize that the values inside of you of overcoming things when they don’t go your way are the most important things to winning." 

Justin Fields of the New York Jets, Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins and Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals are three younger quarterbacks who have uncertain futures this winter. Perhaps each one should give Darnold a call following the Super Bowl for advice on how to handle the next steps of their careers.