If Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold winds up winning any personal hardware or accolade from this point forward, he should at least thank the San Francisco 49ers during his acceptance speech.
After all, it was during his 2023 one-year tenure with the Niners that apparently turned his career arc on its head.
Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick from the 2018 NFL Draft, experienced plenty of tumult and inconsistency for the first five years of his career, spending time with dysfunctional organizations like the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers before opting to onboard with San Francisco as a free-agent backup to Brock Purdy in 2023.
That decision apparently changed Darnold's life, and he shared as much on a recent episode of the Richard Sherman Podcast.
Sam Darnold comes clean on what 49ers tenure meant to him
Darnold's post-49ers trajectory appeared destined for more backup duties, as he only saw one start under head coach Kyle Shanahan, which was a relatively meaningless Week 18 game at the end of the regular season.
When Darnold subsequently signed with the Minnesota Vikings the following offseason, it was to back up the Norsemen's rookie signal-caller, J.J. McCarthy, except the high-profile draftee suffered a season-ending injury before the 2024 campaign even began.
As such, Darnold responded with a career-best Pro Bowl campaign, tossing for over 4,300 yards with 35 touchdowns, leading to him subsequently signing a lucrative free-agent deal with the Hawks earlier this offseason.
Still, Darnold's time in the Bay Area changed him.
"[I was] just happy that they were able to bring me in," Darnold told Sherman, especially in light of Purdy's elbow injury suffered in the NFC Championship game the previous winter. "We were unsure about Brock's elbow at the time. I thought I could potentially maybe go there and start for two or three games, depending on Brock's situation."
This isn't the first time Darnold has lauded Purdy. In fact, the former also credited the final pick of the 2022 draft for helping turn his own career around.
However, being part of a championship-caliber team ultimately left the biggest mark on the otherwise-floundering signal-caller.
For that, he's grateful.
"That year was incredible," Darnold continued. "To be able to learn football from Kyle, from that entire staff that was there, [former QB coach] Brian Griese, the Kubiaks, [now-Seahawks offensive coordinator] Klint, who obviously, we're with now.
"But that was just a great experience, and being around those players, too, some of those dogs that are on that team, getting to experience what they do every single day."
Of course, Darnold is now one of the Niners' chief adversaries who'll face off against his former squad twice a year, including a season-opening Week 1 matchup at Seattle.
In the greater picture, though, Darnold's own resurgence hit a pivot point with Shanahan and Purdy.
Even if it was only for a single year and didn't feature him prominently, it's safe to say that brief time impacted Darnold in the biggest way possible.
Hat tip to David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone for the find and transcription.