For most of last season, fans and analysts alike pointed to Sam Darnold as the Seattle Seahawks' weakest link. Even after wins, some questioned whether the former New York Jets draft pick was the right guy to lead them to the top.
While skepticism was fair to a degree, Darnold has shown vast signs of improvement from his days at Gotham, and he played above-average football for the most part. Turnovers were an issue at times, but he got the job done more often than not.
Still, not even winning a Super Bowl was enough to change the narrative. And given the Seahawks' policy of not giving extensions early, he may still have to win a new deal. Of course, that also implies the team might choose to move on from him.
The Pittsburgh Steelers might still be interested in Seattle Seahawks QB1 Sam Darnold
Darnold drew interest in free agency from multiple teams before ultimately signing with the Seahawks. He recently implied on the "Bussin' With the Boys' podcast that the Pittsburgh Steelers made a run at him. So, who's to say that won't be the case again soon?
"I think we guess colors, and you just tell me yes or no. Yellow and black," Taylor Lewan asked.
"Potentially," Darnold responded.
A lot can change in this league in a year, but the Steelers are in the same place they were when they reportedly wanted to sign Darnold. Aaron Rodgers said this will be his last season, and they don't seem to have a feasible replacement or heir on their roster.
Darnold has another year left on his contract after 2026. So, if the Seahawks still aren't fully sold on him or they believe they have a path to an upgrade, they might reach out to the Steelers to inquire about the possibility of a trade.
The Steelers would get a starting-caliber quarterback to replace Rodgers at a fair price while they continue to develop Drew Allar or whoever they may get in the NFL Draft, and the Seahawks would get draft capital for a player they would probably let go anyway.
Of course, this is just speculation, as there are no indications that the Seahawks want to move on from Darnold. If anything, the lack of a new deal is just due to their usual approach to this type of situation, and not related to Darnold's skill, play, or personality. To the contrary, they've always said all the right things about him.
At the end of the day, Darnold should get much more credit, and he should've already earned the benefit of the doubt, if not with the rest of the league, at least in Seattle. That said, there's always something going on in this league, and if another team is willing to give up strong value for a player who may not be on the team's long-term plans, anything can happen.
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