The Sam Darnold era is officially underway in the Pacific Northwest.
Seahawks 2025 Offseason Tracker: Free agents, trades and more
After trading veteran quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Seattle Seahawks are reportedly signing the 27-year-old Darnold as his replacement. Darnold and the Seahawks agreed to a three-year, $100.5 million contract on Monday, according to multiple reports.
Darnold was one of the bigger stories in the NFL this past season, as the former No. 3 overall draft pick experienced a breakthrough campaign with the Minnesota Vikings that resurrected his once-disappointing career.
For more insight on Darnold and his career resurgence in Minnesota, Vikings Radio Network broadcasters Pete Bercich and Ben Leber joined the Seattle Sports airwaves. Here’s are a few highlights from what they said.
Who is the real Sam Darnold?
After signing in Minnesota last year, Darnold was originally intended to serve as a bridge to rookie No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy. But after McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus in the preseason, Darnold took the reigns and had by far the best season of his career.
Darnold helped lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record, while completing 66.2% of his passes for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He finished fifth in the league in passing yards, fifth in TD passes and 14th in QBR. He also led five game-winning drives, which was tied for second-most in the league.
However, Darnold and the Vikings sputtered down the stretch with a pair of blowout losses to the Detroit Lions in Week 18 and the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card playoff round. In those two games, Darnold completed just 53.1% of his passes for one TD and one interception. He was sacked a combined 11 times in those two games, including a costly strip-sack fumble that was returned for a touchdown in the playoff loss.
So, which version was the real Darnold? The Darnold that shined for the better part of the first 16 games, or the Darnold who struggled in the final two?
Bercich and Leber both acknowledged that Darnold didn’t play well in the final two contests, but also attributed much of that to relentless pressure from the Lions and Rams. Darnold was sacked a combined 11 times in those two losses and was pressured on 49 of his 95 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Leber said Tuesday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. “The late-season game against the Lions, Sam did not play very well at all. I know that he got pressured a little bit. He missed a lot of open throws. I think from a coverage standpoint, (the Lions) did change some things up. They disguised really, really well, and they played a version of defense that he just was not ready for and had a hard time adjusting to it post-snap.
“So I’ll chalk that one up. They got him. They got him pretty good. But I would say most of his struggles came because of a pretty porous offensive line.”
Minnesota’s pass protection was an issue throughout the season – similar to what Smith faced in Seattle. Darnold was sacked 48 times, which was tied for fourth-most in the league. Smith was sacked 50 times. The Vikings’ O-line ranked 27th in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency, while Seattle’s finished dead-last at No. 32.
“Darnold was sacked 48 times last year, and I think that took it’s toll,” Bercich said Monday on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. “… Detroit got a lot of hits on him and got in his face.
“And so if you could protect him and keep him clean and allow him to follow through on his throws, I think you’re gonna get a lot more of the 4,000-yard-plus Sam Darnold than you are of the Darnold that you saw against Detroit and Los Angeles.”
Darnold’s skill set
The 6-foot-3 Darnold has always possessed big-time arm talent and good mobility, which is why he was a top-three pick after his standout two-year college career at USC.
This past season, Darnold added a bit more polish to his game – with a big assist from offensive-minded head coach Kevin O’Connell.
“Sam Darnold is a very strong-armed quarterback,” Bercich said. “There were many a time that he hit (wide receiver) Jordan Addison on a deep comeback from one hash mark all the way across the field and got the football exactly where it needed to be. And we saw him get a little touch on the football as the season went on.
“So from a tools standpoint, he has everything that you could possibly want, which is why he was a first-round draft pick. But we were able to see him, this season, put a lot of that together.”
Darnold particularly excelled at pushing the ball downfield. According to Pro Football Reference, he racked up 2,566 completed air yards (yardage on completions from the line of scrimmage to where the ball was caught), which was second only to Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow. And he averaged 4.7 completed air yards per attempt, which was second only to the San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy.
“I think that if they can devise an offense where you can run the football, have him go under center, play-action, and then throw the ball deep, I think that’s his best game,” Leber said. “He’s got an exceptionally strong arm and he’s very accurate. His deep-ball game is on point.”
Sam Darnold’s last 4th quarter comeback?
Week 16 against his new team 🔥 @Seahawks pic.twitter.com/4XfGfI0jld
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) March 10, 2025
Fortunately for the Seahawks, that appears to mesh with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s scheme. Kubiak has strong ties to the famed Shanahan coaching tree and runs a variation of the Shanahan-style scheme.
Darnold also played in a variation of the Shanahan system last year in Minnesota, where he racked up 1,474 yards on play-action passes, according to Pro Football Reference. That was second-most in the league, trailing only Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff.
“He’s a very good play-action style of quarterback, and I think Kubiak’s gonna take advantage of that fully,” Bercich said.
From Leber’s perspective, Darnold isn’t a high-volume passer. Rather, he’s at his best when working in a balanced offense that emphasizes a strong run game.
The Seahawks, who finished 28th in rushing last season, have already put significant resources into fixing their sputtering ground attack this offseason. They hired Kubiak, who brings the tried-and-true Shanahan staple of a wide-zone blocking scheme to Seattle. They also hired O-line guru John Benton and added two new positions with “run game” in the title.
“I don’t think you want to rely on him throwing 50 times a game,” Leber said. “… I just think that sometimes when you add it all up for four quarters, I think the mental side for him can get a little bit bogged down when you start mixing in disguise packages and you start throwing different defenses at him.
“And then especially if the offensive line is not picking up and he keeps getting hit, I think he will feel those things. That’s why I think a quick-strike, big-time offense suits him more.”
Listen to the full Bump and Stacy conversation with Vikings broadcaster Ben Leber at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Hear the full Wyman and Bob conversation with Vikings broadcaster Pete Bercich at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story.
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