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Three-time Pro Bowler Matt Hasselbeck accumulated a lot of experience in his 18-year NFL career, including one Super Bowl appearance.
Hasselbeck led the Seattle Seahawks to Super Bowl XL against the Pittsburgh Steelers but lost the game 21-10. During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Hasselbeck was asked what advice he would give to Sam Darnold and Drake Maye, who are both making their first Super Bowl starts.
The 50-year-old’s advice was simple: just have fun.
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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (8) scrambles with the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dec. 6, 2015. (Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports)
“Well, have fun. I think that’s a major thing. You know, my dad (Don Hasselbeck) actually won Super Bowl XVIII with the Raiders against Washington, and I just remember that team had so much fun. Like they were the silver and black, the Raiders, all that, but they had fun,” Hasselbeck told Fox News Digital in a recent interview with the Family Heart Foundation.
“And even like when I got drafted to the Green Bay Packers, they had just come off two consecutive Super Bowls. And Brett Favre and those guys, like they had fun. I would say in Seattle, like without really knowing that we were having fun, like we were cutting it, because it didn’t feel like a job.”
Hasselbeck completed 26 of his 49 passes for 279 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the loss. He urged Darnold and Maye to cut it loose but, no matter what, just to take it one play at a time.
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Drake Maye (10) of the New England Patriots stands for the national anthem prior to the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado, on Jan. 25, 2026. (Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)
“For Sam and the Seahawks or Drake Maye and the Patriots, I would say one play at a time, guys. Cut it loose. Sixty minutes — all you got. At the end of the day, you look up at the scoreboard, whatever it says is what it says. Control what you can control. Cut it loose and have fun. But there’s no such play. There’s no such thing as a 14-point touchdown. (It) does no good to look ahead. One play at a time. Cut it loose. Good or bad. One play at a time.”
The quarterbacks are both listed with ailments on the injury report and will be battling through injury in the Super Bowl.
Both quarterbacks are facing stout defenses. The Seahawks allowed the fewest points per game in the regular season (17.1).
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Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks walks onto the field after the Seahawks defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 31-27, in the NFC Championship NFL football game in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Seahawks advanced to the Super Bowl. Jan. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
The Patriots have shut down the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and the Denver Broncos in the playoffs, allowing just 8.6 points per game en route to the Super Bowl.
Hasselbeck played for four different teams in his 18-year career: 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, three with the Indianapolis Colts, two with the Green Bay Packers and two with the Tennessee Titans. In 209 games, he completed 60.5% of his passes for 36,638 yards with 212 touchdowns and 153 interceptions.
The Seahawks play the Patriots in the Super Bowl on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
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