Last year, Geno Smith led the Seattle Seahawks to a 10-7 record. Sam Darnold, on the other hand, led the Minnesota Vikings to a 15-2 record. Darnold’s team made the playoffs, but Smith’s didn’t. Still, there isn’t an overwhelming feeling across the league that Seattle actually upgraded the most important position on the roster by bringing Darnold in and letting Smith walk.
It’s a topic that has been run into the ground over the past five months, and soon, finally, Seahawks fans and the rest of the NFL world will know if their doubt in Darnold was misplaced, or if their gut instincts were right all along.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon recently highlighted the biggest problem all 32 teams are facing this season, and for the Seahawks, he pinned the doubt back onto Darnold. As the kickoff for the 2025 season nears, all of the pressure of outside noise is centered back on the most important position in sports, and it’s up to Darnold to immediately have an answer for it.
All eyes are on Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold in Week 1
The Seahawks open against the rival San Francisco 49ers, who themselves are working to prove that their 6-10 record a season ago was a fluke brought about by injuries. They’re also looking for proof in their own quarterback situation that Brock Purdy is the right man for the job under their center.
While most headlines heading into the game will center on the health of superstar running back Christian McCaffery, Darnold’s role in Sunday’s story couldn’t be any clearer: He has to look like the guy who commanded Minnesota’s impressive offense a season ago.
Darnold has shown too many versions of himself throughout his football career. In college at USC, he flashed his physical tools, but he turned the ball over entirely too much. In New York, he infamously saw ghosts. But in Minnesota, he looked like the guy who was worthy of being the No. 3 overall pick in his draft class.
Somewhere in there is the real Sam Darnold. Seattle is just hoping it’s the guy who revived his career in a purple jersey last year.
Darnold is the biggest problem for the Seahawks in the same way the quarterback is the biggest problem for all 32 teams, though. Every single starting quarterback in the NFL is held to the same standard to play within their skillset, limit turnovers, and convert plays when it matters most. The rest of the circumstances don’t matter if he does that.
Last year, Darnold did live up to that standard. But that was in a quarterback-friendly scheme with a quarterback-friendly head coach while he was supported by a fantastic offensive line, a strong running game, and quite possibly the best wide receiver in the NFL. Those things don’t exist in Seattle in 2025, right?
For what it’s worth, based on what we’ve seen in the preseason, Klint Kubiak’s offense appears to already be quarterback-friendly. What West Coast offense isn’t? Establishing the run, using play action, and relying on two talented receivers is not a recipe for any quarterback’s failures.
If Seattle can’t run the ball consistently, then sure, Darnold has to be the guy to play savior, and there’s no telling how well that could go. But Seattle had over 500 rushing yards in the preseason because they were establishing an identity, an identity that isn’t so reliant on Darnold playing hero ball.
The season opener against the 49ers won’t be easy. In a competitive NFC West, either team could come away with the win. Win or lose for Seattle, Darnold will be under the microscope either way.
He’ll be under that microscope until he proves over the course of the season that he is the guy who kept Minnesota in the running all season long in 2024. He’ll be under that microscope until he plays in a playoff game and doesn’t have a humiliating exit.
Darnold can’t shake the doubt in one week, and that’s okay. Let the doubters come calling. Don’t bother calling back. That worked out pretty well for guys like Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield. Darnold isn’t too far behind either in fully reviving his career.