With Seattle a favorite to make it back to the Super Bowl this season, fans may see plenty of the Darnold’s longtime partner during the postseason spotlight.
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold tied the knot in the offseason: Meet Katie Hoofnagle, the quarterback’s biggest fan in 2026
The Seattle Seahawks are most bookmakers’ favorite to return to the Super Bowl this season, which means there is a good chance fans will soon become much more familiar with Katie Hoofnagle, the wife of Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold.
Heartwarming: Seahawks QB Sam Darnold celebrated making the Super Bowl on the field with his partner Katie Hoofnagle.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 28, 2026
Sam: “It doesn’t feel real.”
Katie: “Hey, you did that.”
Sam to Katie: “We did that.”
What a special moment captured 🥹❤️pic.twitter.com/9MpAaYZZNG
When did Darnold and Hoofnagle start dating?
During the 2025 offseason, Darnold and Hoofnagle got engaged, a milestone she revealed with an Instagram snap of the pair walking along the beach. The post was simply accompanied by the caption: “YES!!!!!”
The same social media platform offers a clearer look at their relationship timeline. The couple first went Instagram official on Darnold’s 26th birthday in June 2023, though they had been dating for an unknown period before that.
We can roughly piece together how they may have met by looking at where both were living and working in the years prior.
Who is Katie Hoofnagle?
Hoofnagle is a San Francisco Bay Area native who majored in marketing and minored in nutrition, according to her LinkedIn profile. She graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2020 and later moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, to begin her professional career and for what she described as “personal growth.”
Darnold, of course, was based in Charlotte during the 2021 and 2022 NFL seasons while playing for the Carolina Panthers. Putting two and two together, it is reasonable to assume the pair met during that period.
From Charlotte to Seattle, via Minneapolis
Hoofnagle currently works remotely as an account manager in the healthcare sector, a setup that has allowed her to follow Darnold throughout his NFL journey. That included a move to Minnesota in 2024, when the quarterback played for the Vikings, and then to Seattle ahead of the 2025 season.
Her Instagram feed suggests she is an avid hiking fan, so Darnold may need to prepare for some serious offseason trekking, although only if the Seahawks give him the green light.
A familiar face at Seahawks games
Hoofnagle has become a regular fixture at Seahawks games, which are drawing increased attention as the postseason approaches. Expect to see her in the stands cheering on Darnold and his teammates as Seattle looks to bring home its first Super Bowl title since the 2013 season.
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