Sam Darnold's future wife, Katie, sends beautiful message to Seahawks at Rams game

Sam Darnold's future wife, Katie Hoofnagle, sent a beautiful message to Seattle Seahawks fans ahead of their NFC Championship game

Published on: Jan 26, 2026, 06:06:16 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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Sam Darnold's future wife, Katie Hoofnagle, sent a beautiful message to Seattle Seahawks fans ahead of their NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. This comes as the Seahawks were leading the game at home, with the 28-year-old quarterback leading their plays. The winner will play the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Sam Darnold's future wife, Katie, sent a message to Seahawks fans (Instagram)

Ahead of the game, Hoofnagle posted a story as she reached Seattle for the game. It showed the city's beautiful sky at sunset.

Sam Darnold's future wife posted a story before Seahawks vs Rams (Instagram)

Engaged last year

Darnold and Hoofnagle got engaged just last year. “YES!!!!!” she wrote under a photo of the two, showing off her engagement ring, on Instagram. The couple’s relationship became public in 2023, when Hoofnagle shared a heartfelt birthday message for Darnold that highlighted his humor, personality and movie-quoting habits.

Their bond continued to grow, and in July 2025, the two announced their engagement.

Hoofnagle has frequently shown her support from the stands, attending Seahawks games and cheering Darnold on throughout the season.

Professionally, Hoofnagle works as an account executive and graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2020, where she earned a degree in marketing.

Ahead of the game against the Rams, Darnold, who was dealing with an oblique injury, spoke about his preparation.

Sam Darnold's message before NFC Championship game

"Just attacking rehab these last couple days," the Seahawks quarterback said. "Obviously, will be throughout the week; just got to continue to prepare and get my body right for Sunday."

Darnold tweaked his oblique in practice last week. It didn't seem to hinder him last Saturday as the Seahawks pummeled the visiting San Francisco 49ers 41-6 in the divisional playoffs. He was 12-of-17 passing for 124 yards and a touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and was turnover-free.

Darnold was a limited participant in practice all week but wasn't given an official game injury designation on Friday.

"Feel like the process is going right along where it should be," Darnold said on Friday. "Feeling really good for Sunday."

(With inputs from Reuters)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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