Before heading to the Seattle Seahawks’ championship parade Wednesday morning, outspoken linebacker Ernest Jones IV stopped by “Up & Adams” and used the platform to address the skeptics. Host Kay Adams noticed Jones’ shirt and, when she angled the camera, viewers saw Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold making an obscene gesture. Jones and several teammates wore those shirts at the ceremony, with Darnold’s approval, as a defiant response to the doubters who questioned him and the Seahawks all season.
Onstage, Jones doubled down on the message. He told critics—those who had disparaged his quarterback, the defense, the offensive line, or the city of Seattle—directly, “If you want to say something about my QB… I have two words for you… Fuck you!”
Few outside the organization had faith in Darnold for much of his career. Even after he led the Minnesota Vikings to 14 wins in 2024, Minnesota allowed him to hit free agency, and Seattle picked him up—an acquisition that proved decisive. The Seahawks themselves had been written off repeatedly during the year, making their run even more unexpected.
Jones also took aim at Rams receiver Puka Nacua after Nacua mocked Darnold on social media; Jones, who earned a Super Bowl ring as a 2021 rookie with the Rams, responded quickly and publicly. Seattle finished the season with a 10-game winning streak, beating the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX, and had clinched the NFC’s top seed and home-field advantage despite being largely overlooked through much of the campaign.
It was only after a dominating defensive performance against San Francisco in Week 18, which secured home-field advantage, that national analysts and fans began to take the Seahawks seriously. For Darnold, the Super Bowl victory serves as both vindication and a rebuke to those who misjudged his career.
Fan take: This matters because it highlights how quickly narratives can change in the NFL—players labeled as cast-offs can become franchise-altering pieces, and teams written off can prove the doubters wrong. The Seahawks’ run and Darnold’s redemption could encourage teams to take more chances in free agency and remind fans that momentum and chemistry often matter more than preseason expectations.
