Moments after Sam Darnold sealed the NFC Championship and punched the Seattle Seahawks’ ticket to the Super Bowl, the quarterback was seen celebrating on the field with his fiancée, Katie Hoofnagle. The two shared a kiss amid the chaos, a snapshot that perfectly captured what the moment meant. And now, with Seattle set to face the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in less than two weeks, Hoofnagle has made it clear where the Seahawks’ mindset stands, as she sends a subtle warning to Mike Vrabel’s squad.

“WE’RE NOT DONE YET!!!” Hoofnagle wrote in an Instagram post, sharing photos from the on-field celebration with Darnold. She also posted a video of him lifting the NFC Championship trophy, captioning it simply, “LFG 14!”

That message didn’t come out of nowhere. Darnold just delivered one of the most complete performances of his NFL career to get Seattle to this point. Against the Los Angeles Rams, he completed 25 of 36 passes for 346 yards, didn’t throw a single interception, and controlled the game from start to finish as the Seahawks closed the door on the NFC.

Now comes the final test. Seattle will line up against the Patriots on February 8, a New England team that reached the Super Bowl after knocking off the AFC’s top-seeded Denver Broncos. There’s also a familiar undertone here. The Seahawks haven’t forgotten what happened the last time they met the Patriots on this stage back in the 2014 season, when New England’s defense stood tall, and Seattle walked away empty-handed.

Fast forward to now, and the dynamics look different. Seattle enters the Super Bowl with the league’s No. 1 defense, setting up a fascinating matchup against the Patriots’ offense. That context makes Hoofnagle’s message land even harder. Seattle knows what’s ahead, and they believe they’re built for it.

Darnold and Hoofnagle first crossed paths during his one-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers. She made her first public appearance in his life in 2023, wishing him a happy birthday. And since then, she’s been a steady presence. Both in public and on social media. And shortly after signing with Seattle, Darnold spoke about her impact while hosting a charity flag football event at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California.

“The support [from] my girlfriend is unbelievable,” the quarterback said back in March 2025. “You know, the fact that she just understands it. She’s a former athlete herself, and just gets kind of the grind of everything. When I just want to chill, she’s very up for that, especially during the season.”

A few months later, just before training camp kicked off, the couple got engaged. Now, Hoofnagle is right back on the field with him, celebrating an NFC title, and making sure everyone knows the Seahawks see this as unfinished business heading into February’s biggest night. Meanwhile, after the Championship win, Darnold also shut down his few critics, considering now he’s heading to the Super Bowl.

Cowboys’ legend issues apology to Sam Darnold after win over the Rams

Even after a playoff run like this, skepticism around Sam Darnold never fully went away. However, now that he’s heading to the Super Bowl, at least one of his loudest critics has owned up to being wrong. Dallas Cowboys legend Dez Bryant didn’t hesitate to say it out loud.

“Congratulations to Sam Darnold, because I didn’t believe! You shut me the f**k up! I’m looking forward to watching you play in the Super Bowl!” Bryant wrote in a social media post.

And the doubt wasn’t exactly random. While Darnold put together a strong regular season, throwing for 4,048 yards, completing 67.7% of his passes, and accounting for 25 total touchdowns, he still wasn’t viewed as a legitimate Super Bowl quarterback. That narrative showed up clearly ahead of the NFC Championship, when eight of 12 CBS analysts picked the Rams to advance, leaving Seattle as the clear underdog.

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But when it mattered most, Darnold delivered. He saved his best performance for the biggest stage, playing his cleanest and most decisive game of the season. In doing so, he became the first quarterback from the 2018 draft class to reach a Super Bowl, silencing a lot of the lingering noise around his career arc.

“You can’t talk about the game without talking about our quarterback. He shut a lot of people up tonight, so I’m happy for him,” second-year head coach Mike Macdonald echoed the sentiment.

Now, Darnold and the Seahawks turn their attention to February and a matchup against the Patriots. Whether he finishes the story by lifting the Lombardi Trophy is what we shall see in less than a couple of weeks.