Sam Darnold praises girlfriend Katie Hoofnagle for understanding NFL "grind" after signing $100,500,000 contract

Sam Darnold has been one of the major highlights of the offseason, as the quarterback secured himself a massive $100 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks. Behind Darnold's success, his girlfriend, Katie Hoofnagle, has played a significant role in supporting him.

In an interview with US Weekly on Monday, Sam Darnold praised his girlfriend Katie Hoofnagle for her "unbelievable" support throughout the quarterback's career. Coming from a sports background herself, Darnold revealed how Hoofnagle understands the "kind of grind" an athlete in the league goes through throughout his career.

“The support [from] my girlfriend is unbelievable. You know, the fact that she just understands it. She’s a former athlete herself and just gets kind of the grind of everything. When I just want to chill, she’s very up for that, especially during the season," Darnold said, praising Hoofnagle.

Moving forward in the interview, Sam Darnold crowned Katie Hoofnagle as his "biggest supporter," thanking her for all the support she has been providing from day 1 of their relationship. Concluding his statement, the Seahawks star said:

“Maybe not so much in the offseason. If she wants to go somewhere and I just want to chill, she’s like, ‘Let’s go out to dinner. We need to go to dinner.’ She’s great. She’s always been my biggest supporter. And I love her, and I thank her for that all the time."

Sam Darnold revealed the least-popular struggles of NFL athletes

Apart from talking about his relationship with Katie Hoofnagle, Sam Darnold revealed the major struggles of NFL athletes that often go unnoticed. He explained how athletes on one-year deals carry a constant sense of insecurity, which makes the offseason the most stressful and least enjoyable time for them.

"Whenever we are on a one-year deal, like, yeah, it’s great. I understand playing in the NFL is awesome and I love every second of it. But when you have those one-year deals, which a lot of guys in the NFL are on, you’re always in the back of your head thinking, ‘OK, where am I gonna play next?’” Darnold said.

Darnold is no stranger to the challenges of one-year deals, because he has spent the last two NFL seasons on such deals, with the Vikings in 2024 and the 49ers in 2023. However, the quarterback's deal with the Seahawks is a three-year contract, setting him up to become a free agent in 2028.