The Seattle Seahawks may have created quite the dilemma for themselves. They signed a $100 million number 1 QB, an experienced backup, and a talented rookie for the future. With quality players on the bench, just how long do they give Sam Darnold if he struggles?
Might as well get the Sam Darnold hate machine going, right? But that's not what this is. It's a legitimate question. If Darnold starts out Week 1 and Week 2 at the level he showed versus the Lions in Week 17 and the Rams in their playoff loss, how much faith should the coaching staff have in him? We know he's the starter, but how long will Mike Macdonald wait if he stumbles at the start?
The other side of that question - one always leads to another - is how much faith the Seahawks should have in their backups? Yes, Drew Lock looked great in minicamp. Rookie Jalen Milroe has looked even better. But we need to take a closer look at exactly what that means, along with Darnold's performance so far.
How long a leash should the Seahawks give new QB Sam Darnold?
It's the biggest question for the Seahawks this season. Yes, the offensive line still has two big question marks. Will Seattle add another cornerback or pass rusher for depth? Can Cooper Kupp and DeMarcus Lawrence rebound from injury-plagued seasons? Okay, that's too many questions.
I still believe the performance of Sam Darnold will be the biggest question of all. Will Seattle get the QB who engineered a 14-2 record while throwing for 4,153 yards and 35 TDs against just 12 picks? Or will they get the guy who completed just 53 percent of his passes for 411 yards, one score, and one pick in his last two games?
The Vikings lost the chance for a first-round bye and were booted in their only playoff game.
That's the Sam Darnold the league saw for his first five seasons. In three seasons with the Jets and two with the Panthers, he completed 59,7 percent of his passes for 11,767 yards. That averages just under 214 yards per game, and all but one of his 56 appearances were starts. That and his 61-55 TD-INT ratio aren't going to win a lot of contests.
I'm going to indulge myself and remind all the Geno haters that in Seattle, Geno Smith completed 68.5 percent of his passes, averaged 240 yards per game (52 starts on 54 appearances), and had a 76-36 TD-INT ratio. Yes, he definitely had his issues in the red zone. Smith also had 19 game-winning drives in 83 starts. Darnold has had 10 in 73. So, be careful whatcha...you know the rest.
If Darnold kicks off the 2025 season against the Niners the same way he played versus the Giants in last year's opener, the Seahawks will have no problems. He was extremely efficient, reeling off 19 completions on just 24 attempts for two scores against one pick. Darnold was just getting started.
Through his first four games, Darnold completed 73 of 106 passes for 932 yards, 11 touchdowns, and just three interceptions. Those latter three games were against the 49ers, Texans, and Packers. That's two playoff teams and the Niners before they were decimated by injuries. Not too shabby for a guy who was supposed to back up rookie J.J. McCarthy.
The problem was that Darnold mixed in a couple of awful games last year. After throwing for seven scores and just one pick against the Texans and Packers, he was terrible against the Jets. Maybe he was too amped up to show them up, but 14-31 passing and a passer rating of 50.3 wasn't quite what he had in mind.
In Week 9, he had three picks in Jacksonville, although the Vikings won via defense, 12-7.
I'm not suggesting that the Seahawks should panic if Darnold has a bad game or two after he gets off to a good start. All the best QBs have bad outings. Even studs like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson had a few stinkers mixed in last year. There's a slight difference between guys who are perennial Pro Bowlers and MVPs, and a guy like Darnold with just one truly good season out of seven.
So, how much leash do the Seahawks allow for Darnold if he stumbles out of the gate? Well, if the defense is as good as so many of us anticipate and Seattle still wins, that has to play into any prospective change at quarterback. The perception would likely be that he isn't losing games, and he'll come around in time.
On the other hand, if Darnold is as badly off-target as he was in minicamp and the Seahawks lose their first two, the pressure will be on to make a change before it's too late. The tricky part there is, your replacement needs to be better than Darnold.
Drew Lock had one great game for the Giants last year. Look beyond his spectacular four-touchdown demolition of the Colts, and you get two touchdowns and five picks in four losses.
Rookie Jalen Milroe has improved tremendously from OTA to minicamp. If he continues to make seven-league strides through training camp and preseason, he could be the next Russell Wilson. Only without the inflated ego to ask for his own office and personnel approval. I'd be a lot happier if Milroe gets a full season to acclimate to the league.
Darnold deserves all the support in the world - or at least the Pacific Northwest - the 12s can give. I believe there's more reason to believe his 13 excellent games provide an accurate picture of his ability, as opposed to his five poor outings. Here's hoping he times his few debacles providentially for the Seahawks and himself.