Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider made so many brilliant moves last offseason that the NFL finally gave him his flowers this season. He was voted as the Pro Football Writers of America Executive of the Year. One of the moves that helped him earn that award was signing quarterback Sam Darnold.
12s are certainly appreciative of Darnold being on the team, but so are his teammates. Even during the quarterback's worst streaks of the season, his teammates have had his back. That stems not only from the belief that he will perform on the field, but also from how he handles himself off of it.
One player who has spoken at length about how much he respects Darnold is his immediate backup, Drew Lock. While teammates getting along is nothing new, a backup praising the one player keeping him off the field so much is somewhat unique. It isn't just the player that Lock likes about Darnold, but the person, too.
Drew Lock expands on his respect for Seattle Seahawks QB1 Sam Darnold
He didn't stop speaking highly of his team's starting quarterback during media week ahead of the Super Bowl, either. When asked about what has made Seattle so successful this season, Lock mentioned how the team doesn't have prima donnas. That starts with Sam Darnold.
"(Darnold) is such a great example of (not having a large ego)," Lock said. "...He learns from everything. He brings it to the next year, to the next game, and he just goes about his process."
It is clear that Sam Darnold doesn't see himself as being above the team, but simply as a cog that drives the Seahawks forward. The quarterback position could lend itself to a player seeing themselves as more important than others on the team. After all, quarterbacks play the most important position in sports.
Darnold is also a refreshing presence after Russell Wilson and Geno Smith. Smith had a volatile temper that could often rage at his teammates when things went wrong. He also raised his middle finger to Seattle fans when his new team, the Las Vegas Raiders, played the Seahawks in the preseason, and Smith did the same to his own team's fans during the regular season.
Wilson, of course, accidentally forced his way out of Seattle when he went to team ownership in an effort to have head coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider fired after the 2021 season. Imagining Sam Darnold doing that is impossible.
One can also safely assume that should the Seattle Seahawks win the Super Bowl, Sam Darnold will not change his approach to the game overall or his own team. He will remain a teammate first, even while playing the position most people pay attention to.