Sam Darnold was mostly brilliant in 2025, good enough to lead the Seattle Seahawks to the franchise's second Super Bowl victory. Was it all the quarterback's doing? Of course not, as the defense was historically great. But the team might have failed with lots of other quarterbacks.
The negative aspect of Darnold's performance is how it affects other QBs on the team. Drew Lock is QB2 and has likely gotten somewhat used to life in the NFL as a backup at his position. Does he want to be a starter? Surely. Most players do.
But for Jalen Milroe, Darnold's success might be a real problem. The third-round draft pick was taken as insurance in case Darnold or Lock didn't work out well. Milroe was even given a chance to play a few snaps early in the year, but they almost all led to awfulness. If not for a poor pitch by the QB to running back Zach Charbonnet in Week 5, Seattle might have defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Seattle Seahawks should think of trading quarterback Jalen Milroe this offseason
The rookie now has three years left on his contract. Darnold has two years left after 2025, but is only 28 years old and unlikely to be leaving the Seahawks anytime soon. No path seemingly exists for Milroe to ever play much in Seattle, but he does have a lot of raw physical skill that another team might be able to use.
Even better for the Alabama product, the quarterback draft class is fairly weak in 2026. Milroe's draft grade last year is likely going to be higher than many of the QBs in this year's draft, meaning a team could think about trading for Milroe if the Seahawks don't want an extremely high amount for him.
Trading Milroe, as has been suggested recently by ESPN, might be a win-win for the player and the team. He would be able to go somewhere with a real chance of playing, and general manager John Schneider would be able to add to his draft in 2026, one that currently only has four selections.
Several teams could be interested in Jalen Milroe. The Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, and even Seattle's former offensive coordinator's new team. Klint Kubiak is now the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders and would understand how he can use Milroe.
The only problem with Milroe going to the Raiders is that Vegas is likely to take Fernando Mendoza with the first pick in the 2026 draft, so that Seattle's current QB3 would be unlikely to play in Las Vegas either. The Steelers could be a real option, especially if they re-sign Aaron Rodgers, as Milroe could sit behind Rodgers for a year before maybe becoming QB1 in 2027.
How likely is it that the Seattle Seahawks trade Jalen Milroe this offseason? Probably higher than expected. John Schneider will certainly listen to offers, and should the right one be made (say, a fourth or fifth round pick this year), a deal could happen quickly.