The Seattle Seahawks signed free agent quarterback Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million deal, but how much the team will play him has swirled around the NFL offseason rumor mill.
“No, you guys are crazy,” Macdonald said. “I respect that you’ve got to ask it, but it’s just a crazy question. It’s just not going to happen. Sam’s our starting quarterback. We love him. He’s doing a tremendous job.”
That’s despite mixed results from Darnold at organized team activities and the fact that his last two games with the Minnesota Vikings weren’t glowing. In both cases, Darnold’s tendency to hold on to the ball too long showed up on the field, and he threw interceptions along the way.
Macdonald made it clear that he doesn’t believe “one bad throw or one bad decision” defines a player. After all, Darnold netted the big contract because of his overall performance with the Vikings in 2024.
“We want these guys to go prepare the right way and then when they go out on the practice field, go freaking let it rip and then we‘ll go fix it,” Macdonald added. “We’ve got time … they’re going to get plenty of reps. We’ll get those things fixed.”
Darnold likewise didn’t want to put too much weight on his OTAs performance.
“So, you know, those linebackers are getting some depth, and so trying to maybe push some stuff down the field that maybe I shouldn’t,” Darnold added. “I’ve got to learn from some mistakes there, and maybe just check it down. But it’s fun to be able to push the ball down the field.”
Darnold rebuilt his career over the past two years between the Vikings and the San Francisco 49ers. The former No. 3 pick in 2018 out of USC didn’t reach expectations with the New York Jets in three seasons, and things didn’t improve for Darnold during a two-year stint with the Carolina Panthers in 2022 and 2023.
The California native played a backup role in San Francisco behind Brock Purdy, who led the team to the Super Bowl in the 2023 season. Darnold then made the most of his opportunity with the Vikings when No. 9 pick J.J. McCarthy missed the season due to meniscus surgery recovery.
Darnold completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns—all career highs. He led the Vikings to a 14–3 record with a shot at the No. 1 seed, but his lackluster performances against the Detroit Lions in Week 18 and the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round ended the season in a thud instead.
Now, he gets a fresh start in Seattle with a team that traded away a successful starter in Geno Smith before the free agent signing. Seattle also made major changes at wide receiver in parting ways with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, and the Seahawks added former Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp in the process.
As for Milroe, Macdonald said the former Crimson Tide star will appear in specialty package plays but Darnold is the starter. That said, the Seahawks have brought in a free agent quarterback before and drafted a third-rounder the same year, and the result went much differently than what’s anticipated this year.
In 2012, third-round rookie Russell Wilson beat out free agent Matt Flynn for the starting job, and Wilson became an all-time great for the Seahawks. However, Flynn only signed for three years and $19.5 million, a far cry from Darnold’s hefty salary.
