There's no doubt that Sam Darnold's new life with the Seattle Seahawks has completely shifted his future in the NFL. Darnold's never-give-up attitude and motivated spirit kept him above water when he could have sunk, as he was looked upon as a first-round bust for those first few years in the league.
It's been two full seasons since Darnold began to shed that "bust" persona, and now he's a Super Bowl champion, quarterbacking one of the best teams, if not the best team, across the league. It's popular to be in Darnold's corner now, just as much as it was once popular to write him off, but his supporters today surely outmatch his detractors in his earlier years.
One of those supporters is former Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who has not shied away from taking up for Darnold since arriving in Seattle. As Darnold prepares for his second season with the Seahawks, one of the biggest questions about him is whether he can be even better than he was last season, a question to which Hasselbeck has an affirmative answer.
Matt Hasselbeck declares Sam Darnold's best days with the Seattle Seahawks are in front of him
Despite leading the Seahawks to a 14-win, Super Bowl-winning season last year, Darnold's individual numbers were lower than those he tallied with the Minnesota Vikings the year previous; his first season as the resurrected version of himself.
Darnold showed what he was capable of, throwing the football in Minnesota and leading a team to the playoffs. In Seattle, he was excellent, still, but not as efficient. Darnold's efficiency is the key to him being even better than he was last season, and turnovers are going to be a huge part of it next season.
That being said, Hasselbeck believes that Darnold is just getting started in Seattle. The former quarterback who led the Seahawks to the playoffs six times during his 10-year tenure recently appeared on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk about what to expect from Darnold in the 2026-27 NFL season. Hasselbeck was adamant in his comments, having Darnold's back with every word.
“I think that Sam Darnold is still just a young quarterback scratching the surface of what he can be,” Hasselbeck said. “I really hate when people on the national level discredit the year that he had last year, because I think that’s obnoxious. At the same time, I think he can still play a heck of a lot better. And that’s what I saw in that Thursday minicamp practice."
As strange as it may seem, Darnold is still fairly young in his NFL career, even though he's been playing for eight years, entering year nine later this fall. Darnold is a true veteran now, and fans, Seahawks fans especially, are just getting to see the good parts of Darnold's game, maybe even great parts.
Hasselbeck may be right on point in that regard; Darnold is scratching the surface of what he can be as a quarterback in this league, and the longest leash he's ever had is in Seattle, and they're right to give it to him. Now, if he can cut down on the turnovers, there's no telling how explosive the Seahawks offense can be, and they were already pretty explosive last year.
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