Katie Hoofnagle
IG/ Katie Hoofnagle

Sam Darnold had just thrown his team into Super Bowl LX when Katie Hoofnagle made her way onto the Lumen Field turf on Sunday night.

The couple kissed near midfield as confetti swirled around them, and within minutes, the footage was everywhere online. Seattle had beaten the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 in the NFC Championship, and Darnold's fiancée wasn't content to watch from the stands, Sports Illustrated reported.

Darnold was outstanding against a Rams defence that sacked him nine times when these teams met in last year's playoffs. He completed 25 of 36 passes for 346 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions, playing through an oblique injury he picked up in practice on 15 January. The 28-year-old now faces the New England Patriots on 8 February at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Bay Area Roots, Southern Education

Hoofnagle grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area before heading to the University of South Carolina, where she played club soccer and graduated in 2020 with a marketing degree and a nutrition minor. She works remotely as an account executive for Renvio, a healthcare technology company based in Minneapolis. The flexibility suits her; she's followed Darnold through stints with the Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, and now Seattle, says Yahoo Sports.

The pair met in 2023 when Darnold was backing up Brock Purdy in San Francisco. They went public later that year when Hoofnagle posted a birthday tribute on Instagram, calling his 'huge heart, goofy energy, and ability to quote every movie you've ever seen' unmatched.

Dana Point Proposal

Darnold got down on one knee on 5 July 2025 at Dana Point, California, with white flowers arranged in a semicircle and the Pacific behind them. Hoofnagle announced the news on Instagram with one word and five exclamation points: 'YES!!!!!'

No wedding date has been set. According to Heavy, the couple plans to wait until after the season, which now means waiting until after the Super Bowl at the earliest. Darnold signed a three-year, $100.5 million (£81.3 million) deal with Seattle in March 2025, so financial stability isn't the issue. Time is.

Winning Over the 12s

Hoofnagle has made herself at home in Seattle. Her Instagram bio features a line from Seahawks legend Marshawn Lynch: 'I'm here so I won't get fined', a nod to his famously terse media sessions, Heavy noted. She's been a regular at games all season, often in custom gear featuring Darnold's number 14, and has struck up friendships with other Seahawks partners.

For the NFC Championship, she wore another bespoke outfit and posted photos of the postgame celebration on her Instagram story. The couple embraced on the field with fans still screaming in the background.

A Long Road to This Moment

Darnold's path to the Super Bowl has been anything but direct. The third overall pick in the 2018 draft, he flamed out with the New York Jets, bounced to Carolina, spent a year holding a clipboard in San Francisco, then resurrected his career in Minnesota, only to lose in the Wild Card round to these same Rams. This year, with a new team and a ring on his fiancée's finger, he finally broke through.

'The support from my girlfriend is unbelievable,' Darnold told Us Weekly back in March. 'She's a former athlete herself, and just gets kind of the grind of everything. She's great. She's always been my biggest supporter. And I love her, and I thank her for that all the time.'

Hoofnagle will be back in her home region for the Super Bowl - Levi's Stadium is a short drive from where she grew up. If Darnold lifts the Lombardi Trophy on 8 February, expect another celebration at midfield.