The immense pressure of Super Bowl LX can break a quarterback, but for Sam Darnold, it’s the ultimate test of a mental fortitude he’s spent years building. With only a few days before he enters Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara for Super Bowl LX, the quarterback has opened up on the importance of mental health and how it keeps him going.

“A big thing for mental health is making sure I stay close to my friends and family,” said Sam Darnold to the reporters via NFL on FOX on YouTube. “Because in the job we have, we don’t have a lot of time. Making those phone calls to friends and family is huge for me.”

Before his resurgence with Seattle, Darnold openly reflected on how his mindset had changed. He acknowledged that earlier struggles with doubt and overthinking shaped him, but no longer define him. Over time, the veteran has spoken on the topic, and ahead of a crucial game, this admission felt louder than ever.

On the Dan Patrick Show, he talked about handling adversity differently now, embracing mistakes as part of his journey, and learning to move forward.

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That same mental growth has become a focal point as he prepares for Super Bowl LX, especially with memories of being a former Jets and 49ers backup. These are experiences he said taught him to appreciate each moment as he prepares to make his first Super Bowl appearance on Sunday.

The lead-up to Super Bowl Sunday is always a turbulent time in the league, giving the players barely any free time. Once the regular season and the playoffs are done, there’s the offseason, contract negotiations, practices, and many technicalities that keep the players busy for the majority of the year. All this while fewer and fewer teams make it to the next NFL round.

There is always an underlying pressure to perform well. The fans and the media do not shy away from criticizing the simplest mistakes. No matter what the season has been like, the Super Bowl is a league of its own.

As Darnold mentioned, talking with family and friends is one of the best ways to keep the mind fresh. For him, that often means calling his parents, Mike and Chris, or leaning on his older sister, Franki, who has been a constant presence through every stage of his career. In fact, Darnold isn’t the only player who has faced such mental challenges in his NFL career.

In 2021, the Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receiver A.J. Brown admitted to suffering from a mental breakdown. He was losing hope and had suicidal thoughts. Ultimately, it was his close friend and former teammate, Elijah Moore, who helped him get out of the dark phase. He shared Brown’s problems and helped him recover. Brown even took professional help.

While Sam Darnold discusses mental health ahead of the Super Bowl clash against the Patriots, Patriots HC Mike Vrabel admires his ability to keep his cool.

Sam Darnold’s pressure handling abilities have impressed Mike Vrabel

The Patriots HC Mike Vrabel knows that he will face his biggest challenge as a head coach on Sunday. The franchise can secure a seventh Lombardi Trophy, but Vrabel is eyeing his first as an HC. However, he feels that Sam Darnold could be the biggest threat to fulfilling his dream because of his pressure handling abilities.

“I think he’s handled it well,” Vrabel said. “There’s a willingness to stand in the pocket and there’s a willingness to progress through. His courage to stand in there, the Rams nailed him and he completed an unbelievable pass to Cooper [Kupp] on the sideline. He didn’t shy away, didn’t duck, didn’t fade back, he stood there and faced the fire, which is what you have to do in this league if you’re going to be an elite quarterback.”

Despite experiencing a career-high 7.7 percent of sacks of his dropbacks in the regular season, the star quarterback is not afraid to let himself loose in the pocket. With pass rushers closing in, he does not lose his cool. In the process, he takes multiple hits, but always gets back up. It just adds to his eliteness as a quarterback.

It is not just this season. Last season, too, he was sacked 48 times. Even after that, he completed 66% of his passes, scoring 35 touchdowns.

11 years ago, the Patriots defeated the Seahawks in XLIX. A last-minute interception on the goal line crushed the Seahawks’ dream of winning back-to-back Super Bowls. However, a lot has changed since the 2015 game. Darnold has a chance to write history.

Winning the trophy will make him the first quarterback from the 2018 Draft class to achieve it. Darnold has transformed mental toughness into a weapon, turning family calls and self-reflection into game-day armor. Sunday isn’t just about a Super Bowl trophy, it’s about proving that poise under pressure can define a legacy.