He’s a $100-million quarterback and fresh off of a 14-3 career season, but Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has his work cut out for him.
That’s how former NFL quarterback Brock Huard expects things to go for Darnold in his first year with the team. The Seahawks signed Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract as a free agent this offseason after a big 2024 season with the Minnesota Vikings.
Huard made his points on his “Brock and Salk” show on Seattle Sports recently in light of Darnold’s Vikings predecessor, Kirk Cousins, who appeared in the Netflix “Quarterback” show. Cousins, who put up big numbers with the Vikings, didn’t pan out with the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 and wound up on the bench.
“It was a little reminder of how starting over is not easy, even for veteran guys,” Huard said during his show. “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.”
Cousins was ultimately benched for former Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who shined as a rookie with the Falcons last season. Darnold has a little advantage that Cousins doesn’t with a familiar offensive coordinator in Klint Kubiak since Darnold and Kubiak were together with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023.
“We just wanna assume, hey man, Sam’s been with Klint Kubiak,” Huard noted. “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.”
Sam Darnold Has a Much Different Cast Than Geno Smith
GettyGeno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks throws the ball during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers on October 10, 2024.
Darnold’s performance at minicamp didn’t impress overall, but training camp, preseason, and the regular season will be the true tests. While Darnold has the familiarity with Kubiak, the former No. 3 pick will work with a significantly different wide receiver group than former Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith did in 2024.
Seattle parted ways with former star wide receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, and the Seahawks brought in an aged veteran in star wideout Cooper Kupp. The Seahawks also have Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
How the Sam Darnold’s Seahawks Compare to 2024
Smith-Njigba had a promising 2024 season with the Seahawks amid 100 receptions for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns. Valdes-Scantling had 19 receptions for 411 yards and four touchdowns amid his two stops in 2024 before he joined the Seahawks. Kupp had 67 catches for 710 yards and six touchdowns in his final year with the Los Angeles Rams.
Whether or not that trio will help Darnold thrive in Seattle as he did in Minnesota remains a big unknown. Darnold had an elite trio of wide receivers with the Vikings in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jalen Nailor.
Jefferson caught 103 passes for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns, Addison caught 63 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns, and Nailor had 28 receptions for 414 yards and six touchdowns. Darnold completed 66.2% of his passes for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns versus 12 interceptions.
Smith had a comparable 2024 season in some ways with the Seahawks amid his 70.4% completion rate, 4,320 yards passing, and 21 touchdowns versus 15 picks. The Seahawks had only one 1,000-yard wideout in Smith-Njigba, and Metcalf and Lockett only combined for seven touchdowns.
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