It felt like it summed up Sam Darnold's entire tenure with the New York Jets.
During a 33-0 loss to the New England Patriots in 2019, a microphone caught Darnold saying on the sideline that it felt like he was "seeing ghosts."
Obviously, that's not the most encouraging place for a team to find its quarterback in.
Eventually, after three seasons, the Jets traded Darnold to the Carolina Panthers.
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He moved from there to the San Francisco 49ers, then to the Minnesota Vikings, and now finally to the Seattle Seahawks.
And now Darnold has those Seahawks in the Super Bowl, preparing to take on the Patriots.
So much is different, of course.
Those Pats back in the day still had Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. These Pats have Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel.
The Seahawks that Darnold plays for now are incredibly formidable in their own way.
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And most importantly, this is a different Darnold. He has taken many important strides in his career since those days of "seeing ghosts."
But it's still a fascinating subplot. It creates the potential for Darnold to once and for all exorcise every single one of those demons that threatened to turn him into a draft bust.
If Darnold wins the Super Bowl, and against the Patriots for good measure, he will have achieved a bliss not many would've thought possible for him during those lowest Jets moments.
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