Sam Darnold Drama Arrives
Sam Darnold is not technically on the hot seat with his new team, but his introduction to the Seattle Seahawks this offseason already feels awkward.
That didn’t take long: Sam Darnold, the former Vikings quarterback, is already embroiled in a little bit of drama.
Darnold quarterbacked the Minnesota Vikings a season ago, leading the team to a fantastic 14-3 record, but Darnold fell apart in the season’s final two games — also known as crunchtime.
Fast forward five months, and after signing a three-year, $100.5 million contract in Seattle, his head coach is fielding questions about Darnold’s ability to maintain the QB1 job before he even takes a snap.
Seahawks HC Goes Out of His Way to Assure Media Sam Darnold Is the QB1
Darnold delivered a whopping 36 total touchdowns last year on the back of 4,319 passing yards, under the tutelage of Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings’ head coach. His next contract was evidently too expensive for Minnesota, so he departed via free agency to the Seahawks.
Now, equipped with a $100.5 million deal, his new skipper, Mike Macdonald, has been forced to defend Darnold’s QB1 assignment.
A media member asked Macdonald if anything other than injury could force Darnold off his QB1 perch, and Macdonald replied, “No, no, you guys are crazy. I respect you’ve got to ask it, but it’s just a crazy question. It’s not gonna happen. Sam’s our starting quarterback. We love him. He’s doing a tremendous job.”
“I think it’s funny that the media is out there for the first day and all of a sudden they know exactly how good we’re going to be, how good all the players are, and all the tempos. We haven’t even put on pads yet. We haven’t made one tackle. And it turns out a practice, it’s a great way to build culture by letting guys know that they can’t make mistakes. That’s exactly what we’re shooting for.”
Darnold recently played poorly for a segment of organized team activities (OTAs), prompting the question.
Macdonald added, “So go out to practice, be tight, make sure you don’t make a mistake because god forbid you’re the worst player of all time because you made one bad throw or one bad decision. That is not what we’re trying to build. We want these guys to go prepare the right way, and then when they get out on the practice field, go freakin’ let it rip, And then we’ll go fix it. We’ll go. We’ve got time.”
“It’s June 3rd. We’ll go. They’re going to get plenty of reps. We’ll get those things fixed. Sam made a lot of great throws yesterday. He’s gassing us to start the day out, too. So, that was kind of a crazy question.”
A Rocky Public Relations Start
Admittedly, a tough day at OTAs should not translate to iffy job security. But that happened in the era of The Digital Age with Darnold. The news cycle bends at a breakneck pace. Some think Darnold’s job could be on the line after a single bad day at practice.
Moreover, the Seahawks picked Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in Round 3 back in April, and because Darnold doesn’t have a sterling NFL reputation — despite his mostly successful pit stop in Minnesota — some apparently believe Milroe could take over before too long.
There’s also the Seattle precedent of signing Matt Flynn 13 years ago to a handsome contract but handing the baton to Russell Wilson — also a rookie 3rd-Rounder — prompting onlookers to think it could happen again.
Seahawks Scripted It This Way
While it may be unfair to Darnold to toss him on the hot seat before taking a regular season snap with Seattle, this is the nature of the beast when choosing Milroe with relatively high draft capital.
Milroe is the fancy new toy. Darnold is the guy who played like garbage when it mattered the most for the Vikings.
Like the Atlanta Falcons with Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr., this drama was inevitable. It’s just that June is a little early for it.
A Team-Friendly Contract
Thankfully for Seattle’s sake, if Darnold returns to pre-Vikings Darnold, well, his contract isn’t a scourge like Cousins’ in Atlanta.
The Seahawks provided just $37.5 million guaranteed in Darnold’s contract, meaning it can easily offload him before the start of 2026 if Darnold falters. In some ways, his deal in Seattle can be considered a one-year audition, possibly prompting questions like the one this week sent in Macdonald’s direction.
Bleacher Report on the Darnold Drama
Bleacher Report‘s Kristopher Knox also broke down the budding Darnold situation this week.
He opined, “The 2018 first-round pick was largely considered a bust before emerging as a Pro Bowler with the Minnesota Vikings last season. It wasn’t a shocker to see Minnesota turn the page to 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy this offseason or see Darnold land a three-year, $100.5 million contract in free agency.”
“What few could have seen coming back in early March was Darnold being the new face of the Seattle Seahawks and still having to be defended by head coach Mike Macdonald. The first part of the situation was surprising enough. A few months ago, the Seahawks were discussing a contract extension for two-time Pro Bowler Geno Smith. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak spent time with Darnold as the San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator in 2023, so there should be schematic familiarity.”
Ultimately, all Darnold has to do is play competently to start the season in September. That will quiet the critics.
Knox added, “On the other hand, it’s a big risk. Darnold has just one season of above-average play on his resume and floundered in his last two starts of 2024. And if he doesn’t rebound with his new team while the Seahawks struggle, Macdonald could be on the hot seat entering 2026. Fortunately, the Seahawks didn’t go all-in on Darnold, despite what his contract — and the Smith trade — might suggest.”
“Seattle brought back Drew Lock in free agency and used a third-round pick on Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. This is what leads us to Macdonald defending Darnold as his starter. It would have seemed crazy a few months ago, however, for Macdonald to be fielding questions about the USC product holding off Lock and Milroe in Seattle this offseason.”
The Seahawks are expected to win 8.5 games this year — the same forecast as the Vikings.
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