As he acclimates to a new playbook, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has some factors working in his favor.
How will Sam Darnold fare in 2025? 3 insiders weigh in
For one, Darnold already has previous experience working with first-year Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. The two spent the 2023 season together in San Francisco, back when Darnold was the backup to 49ers QB Brock Purdy and Kubiak was the team’s passing game coordinator.
In addition, there are schematic similarities between what Darnold ran with the Minnesota Vikings last year and what he’ll run with the Seahawks. Kubiak and Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell are both products of the Shanahan coaching tree and run variations of the Shanahan scheme, which places an emphasis on outside-zone run blocking and play-action passing.
But even with that familiarity, former NFL quarterback Brock Huard expects there to be a learning curve as the 28-year-old Darnold adjusts to a new team.
That reality was hammered home to Huard as he began watching the Netflix show “Quarterback,” which provides a behind-the-scenes look at NFL QBs Joe Burrow, Kirk Cousins and Jared Goff during the 2024 season.
Huard was struck by the fact that even 36-year-old Kirk Cousins – a four-time Pro Bowler with more than a decade of NFL experience – appeared to go through a learning curve after joining the Atlanta Falcons last offseason.
“It was a little reminder of how starting over is not easy, even for veteran guys,” Huard said during a recent Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. “Kirk Cousins – bright guy, been in a lot of playbooks – was like, man, we have 40 different motions. And you could just feel his gears kind of grinding.
“We just wanna assume, hey man, Sam’s been with Klint Kubiak. Hey man, Sam knows this language. … But even with the familiarity of Klint Kubiak, there will be a learning curve. And I think that’s some of what you felt out there at minicamp in the offseason.”
Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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