The Seattle Seahawks brought in a high price free agent Matt Flynn to be their new quarterback. The plan was for Flynn, a former LSU Tiger, to be their franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future. In that same off-season, the Seahawks brass led by general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll drafted Wisconsin’s Russell Wilson with the Seahawks’ third-round pick.
However, Flynn threw more passes for the Oakland Raiders that season, as the rookie Willson would lead the Seahawks to an 11-5 record in their 2012 season, earning them a second-place finish in the NFC West. During his time as the Seahawks quarterback, Willson would lead the Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances while capturing their lone Super Bowl title.
In 2020, Schneider and Carroll brought in journeyman quarterback Geno Smith to back up Wilson. Smith would become the Seahawks starting quarterback in the 2022 season once Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos. Smith went on to lead the league in completion percentage that season at 69.8%. In the 2023 season, Smith led the NFL in comebacks led by quarterback (4) and game-winning drives (5).
The Schneider/ Carroll union was broken up in the 2024 season when the Seahawks named Mike Macdonald as the new head coach. In Macdonald’s initial season as a rookie head coach, the Seahawks won their first three games. They went on to win one of their next six games before finishing Macdonald’s rookie campaign by winning six of the final eight games this past season.
In the second season of the Schneider/ Macdonald era, the Seahawks are aiming to improve on their 10-7 record from last season. Finishing the season, giving up 375 total points, equating to 21.6 points per game while scoring only 22.1 points per game on average, left the Seahawks on the outside looking in of the NFL playoffs.
The Seahawks signed the well-traveled seven-year veteran Sam Darnold to replace Smith this past week and lead this team through this transition period. Darnold is coming off the best season of his career after leading the Minnesota Vikings to the second seed in the NFC and a 14-3 record, and the Seahawks are banking on getting the best of Darnold moving forward.
As the Seahawks managed to get the best of Smith after he bounced around the NFL, they are now looking to do the same with Darnold. Last season for the Vikings, Darnold achieved a personal best in passing yards (4,319), passing touchdowns (35), and completion percentage (66.2). Though the Vikings lost in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, Darnold earned the 2024 AP Most Improved Player award.
The Seahawks brought in offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, someone Darnold is familiar with from their days as a San Francisco 49er, to help get the best of Darnold who is heading into his eighth season in the NFL.
“First and foremost, I’m excited to be here,” Darnold said in his introductory press conference. “I’ve heard so many good things about this organization from different guys that have played here, retired, and still playing in the league. You hear nothing but great things about this organization, and man, I’m just so excited to be a part of it. Excited to meet some of the fans, the 12s.”
“I think I’ve played here a total of three times, actually played twice. I was a backup in San Francisco working with Klint (Kubiak) here, one of those times, and it’s an unbelievable atmosphere at Lumen Field,” Darnold added. “I’m so excited, to finally have those 12s on my side this time.”
Darnold isn’t shy about how his time with the 49ers benefited his breakout season with the Vikings, by crediting Kubiak and Brock Purdy for changing his mindset as a quarterback.
“I learned a ton in San Francisco and Klint (Kubiak) was a huge part of that,” said Darnold. “My job is to be the point guard and get the playmakers the ball.”
“Sam’s extremely talented. Obviously, he’s a great thrower of the football. His mobility sticks out, his toughness, his maturity. The thing about Sam that really sticks out is just he’s an A-plus teammate,” Kubiak said of Darnold. “The guys he plays with respect him because when your best players are your hardest workers, that’s what you really strive for, and that’s what you want as a coach.”
“There’s 32 (starting quarterback) jobs, right, and then maybe you get selected early, you get a year or two maybe to prove yourself, and then they kick you to the curb. Some guys are mentally tough enough to come back and fight through it, and I’m sitting next to one of them,” said Kubiak referring to Darnold’s path. “You go back to his 2022 season where he didn’t play until the end of the year, the last six games, he goes 4-2 in Carolina and comes to San Francisco and sits behind Purdy and keeps growing as a player; and then goes and does what he does in Minnesota. It’s really impressive to be that kind of a fighter and to stay in the fight and when you get your chance again, be ready, and Sam was ready, and Sam earned this job here.”
Macdonald echoed similar thoughts about the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft saying, “I think Sam’s best days are ahead of him.”
Although the Seahawks will have some work to do on the offensive side of the ball to their roster, considering the Vikings had arguably the best-receiving corps in the NFL last season, led by Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. That talent assisted Darnold to record 6.4% of touchdowns thrown when attempting a pass and 12.0 yards gained per completion as compared to Smith’s 3.6% of touchdowns thrown when attempting a pass and 10.6 yards gained per completion as the Seahawks starter last season.
“Well, we don’t play for another five months, so we have time to work with the guys we have in house and add some pieces if we need to,” Macdonald said about the need to improve their roster.
To aid Darnold in returning the Seahawks to past glory, they have bolstered their offensive line by adding former Baltimore Ravens Josh Jones. They also signed Yakima, WA. native and former Super Bowl MVP, wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Two-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, along with former Dallas Cowboys four-time pro bowler, edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence.
Following the trades of Geno Smith and D.K. Metcalf the Seahawks currently hold 10 draft picks. They will need to add more talent to their offensive line and the defensive line. They could use another sure-handed wide receiver to strengthen that wide receiver corps, in addition to an explosive running back to take the pressure off Darnold. What do you think of the moves the Seahawks have made this off-season, and what players would you like to see the Seahawks target in the upcoming NFL draft?
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