(Image via Getty: Drake Maye and Sam Darnold)

If Drake Maye defeats Sam Darnold’s Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, he would be the youngest starting quarterback in NFL history at 23 years and 162 days old, second only to Pittsburgh Steelers legendary quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was 23 years and 340 days old when he also defeated Seattle in Super Bowl XL. For Darnold, this could be a redemption year for two reasons: reclaim the Big Game title that the Tom Brady-led Patriots took from Russell Wilson’s Seahawks and shed the “bust” label that followed him through his first three years in the NFL with the Panthers and 49ers.

Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel could be the new Tom Brady and Bill Belichick

The Patriots ruled in the 2000s and 2010s, but when Tom Brady left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they spiraled. The head coach Bill Belichick stayed with New England until 2023, searching for Brady’s replacement reportedly without success. He took a year off from coaching in 2024 and then joined college football, coaching the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2025. Meanwhile, in Robert Kraft’s franchise, the 2024 season featured promising new players, including Drake Maye, a North Carolina alumnus. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound signal-caller was unstoppable in 2025. His next stop? Super Bowl 60 against Seattle. Mike Vrabel, who played for the Patriots as a linebacker from 2001 to 2008, joined them in 2025 as head coach after six years with the Tennessee Titans. The three-time Super Bowl champion from the Bill Belichick era now hopes to win a Super Bowl as a head coach with his own legacy team.

Sam Darnold has to create his own NFL legacy with Mike Macdonald as his supportive figure

The 28-year-old field general has played for many NFL teams to reach where he’s always wanted to be: the Super Bowl. He spent 3 years with the New York Jets, 2 with the Carolina Panthers, 1 with the San Francisco 49ers, and 1 with the Minnesota Vikings. For almost a decade, others have reportedly labeled him a “safe pick,” a “bust,” and, only in 2024, a “comeback story.” In 2025, he finally earned the title “Seahawk.” Throughout the season, Seattle’s defense dominated every team, but against Matthew Stafford’s Los Angeles Rams, it was not enough. That’s when Darnold’s gutsy performance made all the difference, and they won the NFC championship game to reach Super Bowl LX. Mike Macdonald has been the Seattle Seahawks’ head coach since 2024, with a career record of 26-10. The experience he brings from roles as linebackers coach, running backs coach, defensive backs coach, and defensive coordinator has finally paid off. In his second year as head coach in Seattle, Macdonald is seemingly taking on the legacy of overturning Pete Carroll’s call that led to the unfortunate interception in Super Bowl 2015 by Patriots rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler.

Who is favored to win Seahawks or Patriots?

The last Big Game the Seahawks won was in Feb. 2014, when they defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. That was 12 years ago. The last Big Game the Patriots won was in Feb. 2019, when they triumphed over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. That was seven years ago. Who will win in Feb. 2026? Only time will tell… just hours to go now!