Seahawks TE Has Blunt 2-Word Message About Sam Darnold

Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner didn’t hesitate when asked what he’s seen from Sam Darnold coming off a four-interception loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Barner said the quarterback is “the same dog that he’s been,” pointing back to Darnold’s four-touchdown demolition of the Washington Commanders in Week 9 and his 14-3 season with the Minnesota Vikings last year. His comments came in a press conference as the Seahawks prepared to take on the Titans. 

“He’s the same guy that had us at 7-3, same guy that went 14-3 last year,” Barner said, adding that to him, Darnold is simply “a winner.”

The tight end’s comments come in the wake of linebacker Ernest Jones IV’s now-viral defense of Darnold, when Jones told critics, “He’s our quarterback… if you’ve got anything to say, quite frankly, f— you.” Barner joked he wanted to “check the rules” to see if he could say the same thing at the podium, but made it clear he and the rest of the locker room are aligned with Jones.

Barner boiled his message down to a blunt, two-word mantra for his quarterback: “Can’t care.”

When it comes to outside noise about Darnold, Barner said the quarterback has to tune it out. “I think at this point it’s like, it is what it is,” Barner said. “Sam’s old enough in this league… for lack of a better term, screw it. Can’t care. Can’t care. He knows who he is.”

He noted that Darnold knows who he is, and that the team’s mentality is “12 as one.” Whether it’s the Pro Bowl quarterback or a practice-squad player, they’re going to have each other’s backs.

Seattle dropped to 7-3 with the 21-19 loss to the Rams, but still sits firmly in the NFC playoff picture heading into November 23’s road game against the Tennessee Titans.

What AJ Barner Says Has to Change for Seahawks’ Turnovers

Barner also acknowledged the issue everyone around the Seahawks is talking about: turnovers.

Seattle has coughed the ball up 20 times this season, including 12 in the last four games, the most giveaways in the NFL over that stretch. Ten of those belong to Darnold, but Barner stressed it’s on the entire offense, not just the quarterback.

He pointed to “being on time” in the passing game, receivers being exactly where Darnold expects, and protection holding up long enough for routes to develop. As a route runner, he said it’s about “being where the quarterback wants you to be,” so when plays break down, Darnold knows where his outlet is.

Barner also turned the spotlight on himself when asked about his own recent fumbles — both recovered, but still on tape.

“Just got to protect the rock,” he said, adding that he wants to be violent with the ball in his hands but has to know when a play is over and it’s time to get down.

In the red zone, where Seattle settled for three Jason Myers field goals against the Rams, Barner said the offense has to both finish drives and, if it gets to fourth down, make sure they’re in “striking distance” so analytics actually support going for it on fourth-and-short rather than fourth-and-long.

Breakout Game, Titans Trip & Ronald McDonald House Visit

Even in the Rams loss, Barner quietly turned in a breakout performance that explains why his voice is starting to carry more weight in the locker room.

The second-year tight end caught 10 of 11 targets for 70 yards, both career highs, and was repeatedly used by Darnold as a third-down chain-mover and underneath “safety blanket.” He now has 31 catches for 306 yards and four touchdowns on the season, putting him firmly on the radar for fantasy football managers and Seahawks fans looking for another reliable weapon in the passing game.

Barner said it doesn’t matter if the ball comes his way once or 10 times — his mindset is to make every target count and “contribute however I can to help us win.”

Off the field, Barner is channeling some of that energy into a new partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities. He talked about growing up around McDonald’s, working with the company to promote its community efforts and planning an upcoming visit to a Ronald McDonald House to spend time with families of sick children, something he said he’s “passionate about and excited to do.”

With a road trip to face the 1-9 Titans next — and Seattle’s turnover problem under a national microscope — Barner’s message is simple: protect the ball, stay on schedule, and keep believing in the quarterback he calls the same winner he’s always been.

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