Sam Darnold finally made it. After years lost on the NFL seas, he made it to a team that really wanted him. Last offseason, the Seattle Seahawks saw what the quarterback did with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, and rightfully thought, "We can win with him."
And win Seattle did. Under head coach Mike Macdonald, the team went 17-3, counting the postseason, and won the Super Bowl. Darnold's play was a big reason why, especially in an NFC Championship matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, when the QB was brilliant.
But as everyone knows, the quarterback's goodness was not an overnight thing. He toiled with the New York Jets, then the Carolina Panthers, and then was a backup for the San Francisco 49ers. He learned things along the way, with perhaps the most important lesson being that he can't win games by himself.
Matt Hasselbeck should offer Seattle Seahawks' Sam Darnold as evidence for what Cam Ward can do
Darnold has great arm talent and sneaky good athleticism. He could always roll out and make a play. It was playing with poise in the pocket and mastering what the defense was giving him that took time. It does for most quarterbacks.
That includes the Tennessee Titans' Cam Ward. Ward was the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, and he was chosen by a bad team with poor head coach direction. He landed in an awful spot, yet he somehow improved as the season grew old.
One of those to notice was former Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. The first QB to take Seattle to the Super Bowl is now an analyst for the NFL.
He recently spoke with Justin Melo of FanSided's Titan Sized while promoting Bud Light's limited-edition championship packaging to commemorate Super Bowl 60, and what Hasselbeck said about what Ward still needs to complete is what Sam Darnold took a few years to master. He did so in 2025.
"I think Cam (Ward) has a lot of great tools to work with," Hasselbeck said. "The danger is, when you come out of the NFL Draft, the things that get you drafted high nowadays are those creative off-platform throws. But if you look at the great quarterbacks in the NFL, the guys who have long, successful careers, it’s the guys who find joy in perfecting the fundamentals. Find joy in the mundane and protect the team."
No better example of Sam Darnold protecting the Seattle Seahawks can be found than in his postseason performance this year. He had no turnovers, and neither did the team overall.
He didn't produce huge numbers in two of Seattle's three playoff wins, but he didn't need to. He came through when needed and didn't throw interceptions. He had mastered the fundamentals. That was all that was needed.