Seahawks Camp Preview: Can Sam Darnold Live Up to Hype With $100.5 Million Contract?
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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold throws a pass during a drill at the team's mandatory minicamp in June. [/caption]
RENTON, Wash. - When it comes to the quarterback position in the NFL, it can be easier said than done to find an upgrade under center, particularly for a franchise such as the Seattle Seahawks who already had a two-time Pro Bowler in Geno Smith at the helm over the past three seasons.
But with Smith desiring a fresh start elsewhere and being dealt to the Raiders shortly before the start of the free agency period in March, the Seahawks will attempt to do just that in 2025. Quickly pivoting from one Pro Bowler to another rather than waiting for the draft to tab a successor, at least in the short-term, they swiftly signed former top-10 pick Sam Darnold to a three-year contract worth more than $100 million, betting on the ex-USC star after a breakout 2024 season where he tossed 35 touchdowns in Minnesota.
Assuming the 28-year old Darnold continues to ascend as a starter after being named to his first Pro Bowl and ranking among the league’s best in passing yards, touchdowns, and game winning drives a year ago, the Seahawks believe they have a great opportunity to take their next step towards returning to Super Bowl contention with him now orchestrating the offense and his arrival may widen their window for making noise in January.
After all, Seattle managed to win 10 games and narrowly missed the playoffs in 2024 despite Smith throwing 15 interceptions, including leading the league in red zone picks, to go with 21 touchdown passes, 14 fewer than Darnold. In addition, they have the vast majority of their defensive starters returning from a year ago for a unit that ranked among the five best in the NFL in scoring from Week 11 on, which should help take some of the pressure off Darnold and the offense as he acclimates to his new surroundings.
But the decision to turn to Darnold as a replacement for Smith doesn’t come without risks, either. Prior to his breakthrough with the Vikings, Darnold flamed out with both the Jets and Panthers, losing starting jobs with both teams before being forced to settle for a backup job with the 49ers in 2023. In his first five NFL seasons, he only surpassed double digit touchdown passes twice and completed under 60 percent of his pass attempts four times, resembling anything but a starter-caliber quarterback at those two stops and receiving the dreaded bust label as a former top-10 pick.
Similar to the case with Smith, who won Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2022 after throwing 30 touchdown passes in his first season as a starter in place of Russell Wilson and earned a new contract as a result, the Seahawks have rolled the dice hoping Darnold can continue to play at a high level away from coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense and without superstar receiver Justin Jefferson. Clouding the prognosis for his first season in the Pacific Northwest, he will join an offense that no longer features DK Metcalf or Tyler Lockett, who each departed this offseason.
If there’s a reason for optimism, however, Darnold has been paired back up with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who coached him as a pass game coordinator in San Francisco two seasons ago and played a key role in restoring his shaken confidence. The veteran signal caller was effusive in his praise of Kubiak after signing with Seattle in March, crediting him for the substantial impact that he had on his breakout campaign with the Vikings, and coach Mike Macdonald has loved what he’s seen so far from the new quarterback/play caller tandem.
“Sam is doing a great job. Sam has a great feel for the offense right now in terms of growing every day,” Macdonald said following Seattle’s mandatory minicamp in June. “You can feel the growth, you can feel the improvement, the confidence that we're doing on that side of the ball and that we're growing. It's exciting to work with. He's a heck of a competitor.”
For those hoping to see Darnold replicate his outstanding numbers from a year ago, in fairness to the player, the Seahawks have built their roster and retooled their coaching staff in a manner where they shouldn’t need him to do so to improve on their 10 win total. Along with Macdonald’s defense welcoming back 13 of the 14 players who received the most snaps last season, including defensive tackle Leonard Williams and cornerback Devon Witherspoon, they upgraded the offensive line investing a first-round pick on guard Grey Zabel and brought in a respected coach in John Benton to develop a young unit up front.
Running Kubiak’s zone-heavy offensive scheme, Benton’s seasoned presence should pay immediate dividends, in turn opening up more running lanes for a talented backfield group headlined by Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. Seattle ranked 28th in rushing yards last season, with much of those struggles attributed to sub-par blocking and health issues, especially for Walker, who missed six games due to injury.
A more respectable run game would immediately take some of the burden off of Darnold’s shoulders and help mitigate the losses of Metcalf and Lockett. From Kubiak’s perspective, the playbook would also be opened up for the Seahawks to dial up more play action and boot leg concepts to move the pocket, which would play right into to his new quarterback’s strengths.
At the same time, if improvements on the offensive line don’t manifest on the field as envisioned and the running game remains an area of deficiency for the Seahawks even with their exciting stable of backs, Darnold’s chance at finding similar success to a year ago will go down exponentially. In the past, he has had his share of issues dealing with pressure, and consistently being under fire due to poor protection coupled with the lack of a complementary run game would be setting him up to fail after receiving a massive pay day.
Other factors will undoubtedly play into whether or not Seattle makes a serious run at an NFC West title or takes a step back in year two under Macdonald, but ultimately, the decision to move on from Smith and replace him with Darnold will carry the most weight. For the organization to be able to elevate to the next level and win a playoff game for the first time in six years, the burden will fall on the new quarterback to deliver, making his performance one of the most intriguing to monitor in the entire NFL in 2025.
Heading towards the start of training camp, here’s a look at the Seahawks depth chart at quarterback, a camp storyline that bears watching, and a bold prediction for the upcoming season:
Depth Chart
Along with signing Darnold as their new starting quarterback to succeed Smith, the Seahawks shook up the rest of their group under center behind him. In mid-June, even with Sam Howell still on the roster at the time, general manager John Schneider brought back trusted veteran Drew Lock on a two-year deal after he spent last season in New York with the Giants. The writing appeared to be on the wall for Howell at the point, as Lock previously won a start on Monday Night Football filling in for an injured Smith late in the 2023 season and commands respect in the locker room.
Sure enough, Seattle began shopping Howell to other teams leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft. After investing a third round pick in dual-threat Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe as a potential future starter in waiting, the team dealt him to Minnesota as part of a pick swap. They later released Jaren Hall, making it that none of the quarterbacks with the team after January’s season finale remained on the roster before the start of OTAs.
Camp Storyline to Watch
For those picturing lightning striking twice with a Wilson-like starting job takeover executed by Milroe this summer, expect sunny skies on the shores of Lake Washington at the VMAC. Schneider didn’t sign Darnold to a three-year deal to promptly turn around and anoint a Day 2 draft pick as the starter over him and even if the veteran struggles initially running Kubiak’s offense with a new supporting cast around him, the leash will be a heck of a lot longer than it was for Matt Flynn 13 years ago. There’s no starting quarterback drama here - at least for 2025.
However, Milroe’s progress developing into a more consistent, polished pocket passer with improved mechanics will inevitably be under the microscope when camp opens later this month, and for good reason. Few quarterbacks come into the NFL with more enticing traits, as he ran a blazing 4.39 40-yard dash at his pro day workout, possesses a rocket for an arm, and has the mental makeup and work ethic necessary to maximize his tools. If he balls out in exhibition games as a passer and runner and Darnold plays poorly out of the gate to open the season, it won’t take long for cries to unleash the youngster, even if he truly needs a year or two before he will be ready to start on Sundays.
Bold Prediction
While Darnold won’t come close to matching his 35 touchdown passes from a year ago in part due to a renewed emphasis on the ground game, in a decisive, timing-based offense predicated on getting the ball out of his hand quickly, he will set a new career-best eclipsing a 68 percent completion rate and trim his interception rate to under two percent for the first time.
