Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold after an NFL game.
Sam Darnold just got a piece of offseason news that should make his 2026 outlook in Seattle a lot more stable: the Seahawks didn’t just fill their offensive coordinator job, they hired Brian Fleury, a coach who already has a working relationship with Darnold from their time together in San Francisco.
Fleury and head coach Mike Macdonald were introduced Thursday, Feb. 19, at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, and Fleury was asked directly about his overlap with Darnold. Fleury confirmed the connection and made it clear he’s excited to build on it.
That matters because the Seahawks are not making this hire in a vacuum. Darnold’s contract has key 2026 money tied to the calendar, and Seattle has been moving through a stretch of roster decisions that can reshape an entire offseason.
Seahawks News: Brian Fleury confirms his Darnold history and calls it a “good relationship”
When Fleury was asked about Darnold, he didn’t dance around it.
Fleury said he was the tight ends coach and run game coordinator with the 49ers while Darnold was the quarterback, and that they worked together during the weekly process. He called Darnold a “great human being,” said they have a “good relationship,” and added he’s excited to help that relationship “grow and make it better.”
In other words: Darnold isn’t starting over with a stranger designing the offense.
For a quarterback, that’s real “great news” — especially in a league where coordinator turnover can reset terminology, footwork, timing, and the entire weekly rhythm of preparation.
Sam Darnold News: Why this hits differently right now
The timing is what makes this more than a nice quote at an introductory press conference.
ESPN’s breakdown of Darnold’s Seahawks contract noted his deal includes a $15 million roster bonus in 2026, with vesting tied to him remaining on the roster after the Super Bowl.
That’s the backdrop: as Seattle navigates big contract checkpoints, the team just hired an OC who knows the quarterback and comes from the exact offensive ecosystem Darnold has already thrived in.
Continuity is the point and Macdonald made that clear
Macdonald didn’t frame Fleury as a left turn. He framed the hire as alignment.
At Thursday’s introduction, Macdonald talked about sticking to the team’s process, valuing continuity, and feeling like Fleury’s offensive vision matched how Seattle wants to operate, the culture, the details, and the way they want to play.
Fleury reinforced that continuity theme himself. In recent reporting on the hire, Fleury has pointed to keeping much of what Seattle did last year while adding ideas from his time under Kyle Shanahan.
For Darnold, that’s about as quarterback-friendly as it gets: keep the foundation, then layer in answers, not upheaval.
Fleury’s “identity” fits what helped Darnold and what comes next
Fleury also gave Seattle fans a blunt description of how he wants his offense to play: fast, violent, aggressive, with pressure on defenses through tempo and structure.
Now zoom out: Seattle’s latest update doesn’t just tell you who is calling plays. It signals the Seahawks are betting on continuity around Darnold, and hiring a coach who can speak the quarterback’s language from Day 1.
Next up is the other shoe Macdonald hinted at: the remaining offensive staff pieces, including how the Seahawks ultimately structure the quarterback-coach role. But for Darnold, the headline is already clear.
The Seahawks hired an OC who knows him, believes in his style of football, and inherits an offense built to keep rolling, not rebooting.