All Roads Lead to Seattle: Sam Darnold Excited For Next Growth Opportunity With Seahawks
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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was introduced to local media alongside offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and head coach Mike Macdonald on Thursday. [/caption]
RENTON, Wash. - Life can come at you fast in the NFL, a lesson that Sam Darnold as well as Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald and general manager John Schneider all were reminded of in the days leading up to the start of free agency.
Coming out of the annual NFL combine, Schneider and Macdonald believed Geno Smith would remain Seattle’s starting quarterback, telling reporters that they would continue negotiations with the Pro Bowl signal caller with hopes of inking him to an extension. But those talks quickly broke down with Smith and his agent Chafie Fields not providing a counter offer after the Seahawks made what they believed was a strong contract proposal, leading to the organization scrambling to go in a different direction at the most important position in pro sports.
Understanding they didn’t have time to wait around for Smith and his representation to re-engage with free agency less than a week away, Schneider met with Macdonald, Seattle’s offensive coaching staff, and the personnel department, quickly transitioning from extension talks to put together a contingency plan with a list of several potential replacement options, including Vikings starter Sam Darnold.
“It wasn’t a very long negotiation,” Schneider told reporters on Thursday. “So as a staff, we had to be prepared to pivot… We happened to pivot, had several guys we were interested in, made the trade, and we were able to get the guy at the top of the list.”
Within the blink of an eye, Schneider flipped Smith to the Raiders for a day two draft choice on March 7, reuniting him with former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. Three days later, the front office had zeroed in on Darnold as their primary target on the first day of the legal tampering period, reeling him in with a three-year, $105.5 million deal to take over as the franchise’s new starting quarterback.
While Schneider and Macdonald faced a fast-tracked timeline once it became apparent a deal wasn’t to be had with Smith, adding in a blockbuster trade sending star receiver DK Metcalf to the Steelers on Sunday, Darnold and his agent monitored the league landscape, including the possibility of returning to the Minnesota. After news broke of Smith being dealt to Las Vegas, Seattle emerged as a desired location for the seventh-year quarterback, and with his representatives doing the work behind the scenes, everything came together swiftly.
By Wednesday, Darnold had the chance to speak with several coaches and soon-to-be teammates, including rising star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Having already agreed in principle to the three-year contract, his excitement only grew from there as he readied for the opportunity to take his talents to the Pacific Northwest.
“Obviously heard the Geno news when that broke. I kind of understood that this could potentially be a spot for me,” Darnold explained. “And then, letting my agents and these guys kind of figure out what would be a really good fit for me. And that kind of came to fruition a little bit. Finally on Wednesday, finally getting to talk to some of these coaches and even have some of the players reach out to me, guys that I played with at USC. Having Jaxon [Smith-Njigba] reach out as well. I met Jaxon at the Pro Bowl and just so eager to get to know each other and get working, talking about when we're going to throw with each other and stuff like that. So just very excited about this opportunity and just to go to work with these guys in the building every single day.”
Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Darnold took a long road back to earn a full-time starting job and a massive multi-year contract after struggling mightily out of the gate as a high draft pick for the Jets. Lasting just three turnover-riddled seasons in East Rutherford before being traded to the Panthers and washing out as a starter there after two dismal seasons, he found himself without a starting job by the 2023 season, latching on with the 49ers as a backup behind Brock Purdy.
But as Smith did when he landed with the Seahawks back in 2019 backing up Russell Wilson, Darnold’s unlikely career revival began in a reserve role under the tutelage of Klint Kubiak, who served as the 49ers pass game coordinator that season. Though he only started one game that season, his regained confidence in his abilities while learning valuable lessons from both Kubiak and Purdy, who called himself a point guard charged with getting the balls to his playmakers, helping him employ a more simplified approach under center rather than feeling that he needed to make a big play every snap.
Those lessons were built upon in Minnesota where Darnold thrived in an offensive system orchestrated by coach Kevin O’Connell that offered similarities to the one he played in at San Francisco under Kyle Shanahan. When rookie J.J. McCarthy went down with a season-ending injury in training camp, he took full advantage of his latest opportunity by throwing for over 4,300 yards and 35 touchdowns while leading the Vikings to a surprising 14-3 record and making his first Pro Bowl team, playing to the level many expected he would when he was drafted third overall out of USC six years prior.
While he credited several other coaches for helping him along the way, Kubiak’s impact left an lasting impression on Darnold, citing improved situational awareness and consistency as two areas where he helped him grow the most. After breaking out in Minnesota with that experience as a guiding force behind his success, the chance to play for Kubiak again in a system with a lot of carryover as the new offensive coordinator for the Seahawks played a major factor in his decision to sign with them.
“When I started to change my thought process as a quarterback to just getting the ball in my guy's hands, then that’s kind of where it unlocked for me a little bit,” Darnold explained. “And then obviously, the coaching I got in Minnesota, it was an incredible experience. KO [Kevin O’Connell], Josh [McCown], Wes [Phillips], Grant [Udinski], all those guys, I can go on and on, obviously the players that we had in Minnesota as well. But it's a credit to everything, man. I can't necessarily point to one thing, but my entire journey has been about growing as a person and as a player. I'm just so, so thankful that it's led me to this point here in Seattle.”
Interestingly, Darnold has played some of his finest football at Lumen Field, saving his best performances for rainy weather and a loud, raucous environment. Back in 2022, during his ill-fated stint as a starter for the Panthers, while he only threw for 120 yards and a touchdown on a rainy, overcast afternoon, he didn’t have any turnovers while leading his team to a 30-24 upset road win that nearly knocked the Seahawks out of the playoffs.
Last season, this time at the helm for the heavy favorite instead of a 10-point underdog, Darnold tossed three touchdown passes with no interceptions in a Week 16 road win for the Vikings, including a game-winning touchdown toss after stepping up in the pocket to evade pressure and dropping a dime to Justin Jefferson for a 39-yard score. As Macdonald put it, though he wasn’t exactly thrilled to revisit the loss in Thursday’s press conference, the Seahawks could “feel” the quarterback’s presence out there, a prerequisite that the young coach looks for from his quarterback.
"I think Sam's best days are ahead of him,” Macdonald said. “Talking to some of our defensive guys, you definitely feel Sam's poise, competitiveness, accuracy, the downfield threat is definitely part of it. Sam can do it with the best of them.”
As Macdonald and Kubiak reiterated multiple times on Thursday, the Seahawks will find success or failure next season based on the play of the team, not just Darnold. In the aftermath of trading Metcalf and cutting Tyler Lockett, the next several weeks will be critical to continue fortifying the roster around their new quarterback through later stages of free agency and the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, including along the offensive line, to help foster the offensive identity they desire to go with a strong defense.
But after proving his mettle in prior battles at Lumen Field sporting enemy colors, Darnold believes in what Seattle is building with Macdonald running the show and Kubiak now installed as the play caller, eager to take the leadership mantle left behind by Smith and perform at his best with home fans cheering him on this time around. As for what the next step in his development looks like following a breakout year, he plans to continue learning from his failures, this time taking mental notes from a rough finish in a playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams in January and readying to get to work on unloading the football quicker and avoiding taking unnecessary sacks this spring.
“I'm so excited to finally have those 12s on my side this time. Just really looking forward to this opportunity to be here with my teammates, with these coaches. I think we have an opportunity to do something very, very special here, but it's gonna take a lot of hard work, and we know that. I know that going in and just very excited to take this one one day at a time, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to put my head down and go to work and just excited to do that.”
