Seahawks Center Says Faith Outshines Super Bowl Glory: ‘Jesus Is Better’

Published: March 25, 2026

By Mallory Mattingly

Seattle Seahawks center Jalen Sundell recalled one memory from winning a Super Bowl that will stick with him forever.

“I think just like finding my wife and my mom down on the field, and, you know, my mom was just bawling. So, you know, just seeing them and kind of reflecting on everything it took to get there is something I won’t forget,” Sundell said on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast.

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He also reflected on why he kept a heavenly mindset going into the Super Bowl.

“I think championships are really awesome. And at the same time, I think for a lot of maybe non-believers, a championship can be one of the biggest letdowns of all time — that they think it’s going to fulfill them, and then it happens and you win, and then it’s like, oh, this is really cool for about 30 minutes, and then it’s like, oh, this is it. It’s fleeting,” the athlete shared.

“So trying to keep that in perspective when it comes to championships — realizing that Jesus is better than the Super Bowl or anything that you could win or do here on this earth,” he emphasized. “I guess that’s something I kind of learned in college, but it was the same leading up to the game. I knew that this was just a football game, and that allowed me to play freely at the same time.”

The week before the Super Bowl, Sundell opened up about trying to practice contentment in Christ.

“I was supposed to go play for the Browns right after the draft, and I drove down there. Me and my wife cried because we thought we weren’t going to see each other for like eight weeks,” he told Sports Spectrum. “But then I got down there, and they didn’t like what they saw on the physical. So I drove back the next day and wasn’t sure if I was going to play football or not.”

“I think as Christians, what God teaches us is to be content in any situation. But at the same time, going through that was challenging. I knew that I was content with Christ, but it still challenged me because I thought I was going to play football,” he continued.

“After you don’t get drafted and then you’re not even on a team, statistically there’s probably not a great shot of playing in the NFL — and I guess I’m kind of a realist at heart. So in my mind, even if I didn’t play football, I was trying to practice being content with Christ,” Sundell added. “That was challenging but sanctifying for me. And it’s honestly taught me so much, even now, playing football.”

Contentment in any situation is an important mindset we all should strive to have.

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