A large portion of the New York Jets fanbase continued supporting Sam Darnold long after he left the team that drafted him third overall in 2018.

After a tumultuous journey that has included stops in five different cities, Darnold has reached the NFL’s mountaintop, leading the Seattle Seahawks to victory in Super Bowl LX.

And he hasn’t forgotten about those who have supported him from the start of his NFL career.

Speaking on Tuesday, just two days after lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy in his home state of California, Darnold addressed Jets fans who have continued to support him.

“Thank you. … That’s all you can ask for as a player, is to feel supported, especially by the team that drafted you. I always look at myself and feel like I could’ve done a lot more for that franchise when I was there. The fact that [Jets fans] are able to support me even through that means a lot.”

After leading the Jets to just 13 wins across three seasons with the team, Darnold has now joined Tom Brady as one of two quarterbacks in NFL history to register back-to-back seasons with 14+ wins. Altogether, including the playoffs, Darnold has won 31 games over the past two seasons for the Seahawks and the Minnesota Vikings.

Darnold had an excellent playoff run to help Seattle get over the top, squashing questions about his big-game capabilities after a rough playoff outing for Minnesota in 2024. Across the Seahawks’ three playoff wins, Darnold completed 56 of 91 passes (61.5%) for 672 yards, five touchdowns, and no turnovers, recording a 102.4 passer rating.

Darnold did not light up the stat sheet in the Super Bowl, completing 19 of 38 passes (50%) for 202 yards and one touchdown. However, his impact went beyond the box score. Darnold avoided any turnovers, and he took just one sack despite facing quick pressure from the New England Patriots’ defense all night long. He erased a plethora of likely sacks with his escapability.

It was quite a far cry from the way Darnold handled pressure in his last nationally televised game against the Patriots, back in October 2019, as a member of the Jets.

Despite the way things went down in New York, the love remains mutual between Darnold and the majority of the Jets’ fanbase.