Don't ask Mike Macdonald about any potential quarterback controversy with the Seattle Seahawks. It's not happening. Sam Darnold is the starter, and no one else is even entering the conversation.
During an interview on the Brock and Salk show on Seattle Sports 710 AM on Tuesday, host Mike Salk merely hinted at the potential that someone, such as Drew Lock or rookie Jalen Milroe, could unseat Darnold. Seattle's head coach was having none of it, though.
Macdonald said, "No, you guys are crazy. I respect that you've got to ask it, but it's just a crazy question. It's just not going to happen. Sam's our starting quarterback. We love him. He's doing a tremendous job."
He later repeated the phrase during the interview. In other words, Sam Darnold is QB1, will be QB1 when training camp is over, and will be QB1 when Week 1 rolls around.
Seahawks' Mike Macdonald quick t shut down any potential quarterback controversy in Seattle
The Seahawks had closed organized team activities (OTAs) at the beginning of voluntary practices, but this week, the media can see all three practices. Macdonald seemed annoyed that after the one open practice, the media reacted as if it already knew how good the team was going to be this season.
Part of the issue is that Darnold has made some mistakes in practices (at one point throwing interceptions on two of three plays) while backup Drew Lock looked sharp. What is easy to forget is that neither quarterback was having reps with blocking. The drills were seven-on-seven, and there was no contact.
Rookie Milroe ran with the third team and did not see as many reps.
Even if Darnold continues to make errors, which should be somewhat expected as he is playing with a new receiver group while playing a Seahawks secondary that is pretty good, he is going to remain solidly as QB1. If he wasn't making mistakes, that might speak more to the defense not being as good as hoped.
The expectation is that Darnold won't play much during the preseason, as most starters do not. For any player to have a chance of beating him out for the starting gig, they would have to massively outplay Darnold in practice.
That is all in theory only. The truth is, based on Macdonald's statement, that any thought of someone taking Darnold's job is ridiculous.
To be a winner in 2025, though, the Seahawks need Sam Darnold to play clean games and not fall into his past trend of throwing untimely interceptions. As good as the defense might be, if the offense is turning the ball over, the season is doomed. Let's hope Darnold is in the same kind of form he was in for much of 2024, and not his six seasons before that.