Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Sam Darnold made his debut as the Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback on Thursday, reflecting on the tough end to his season with the Minnesota Vikings and how he plans to improve moving forward.
Learning from a Late-Season Collapse
Darnold had an impressive run with the Vikings, throwing 35 touchdown passes over 16 games. However, things unraveled in the final stretch. He completed only 18 of 41 passes in a 31-9 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 18 and followed that with a 27-9 wild-card defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, where he was sacked nine times.
When asked what went wrong, Darnold admitted he needed to get the ball out faster and make smarter decisions under pressure.
“I think being able to get the ball out a little bit quicker on some of the dropback stuff that we had those last couple games and understanding where the outlets are and even if a guy is covered, even if my backs covered on a checkdown, just throwing it at his feet,” Darnold said. “I feel like I was taking some unnecessary sacks last year, especially those last few games. … I’ll definitely be thinking about that, keeping two hands on the ball in the pocket at all times. Just doing all the little fundamental things, but that’s a big one, is being able to just get the ball out on time.”
A Fresh Start in Seattle
Darnold signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal with $55 million guaranteed, largely due to his connection with Seattle’s new offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak. The two worked together in San Francisco, where Darnold backed up Brock Purdy, while Kubiak served as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator.
“Sam’s extremely talented,” Kubiak said. “Obviously, a great thrower of the football. His mobility sticks out, his toughness, his maturity. The thing about Sam that really sticks out is he’s an A-plus teammate. He elevates those around him and the guys he plays with respect him because when your best players are your hardest workers, that’s what you really strive for. That’s what you want as a coach, and Sam has that in spades.”
The Seahawks became an option for Darnold after they traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald admitted Darnold was their top target once negotiations with Smith fell through.
“It was an interesting series of events, for sure,” Macdonald said. “But when it became apparent that we had to pivot away from Geno, I was definitely hoping that it was going to land with Sam. There was some time there. Everyone involved in the process was awesome. … There were some great quarterbacks out there that we looked into, but it was really apparent that Sam was our guy.”
Familiar with the NFC West
Darnold already has experience facing NFC West teams. He led a 27-24 victory over Seattle last season with the Vikings and defeated the Seahawks in 2022 as the Carolina Panthers’ starter.
“We’re going to see L.A. twice a year now,” Darnold said, referencing the Rams. “I’m really looking forward to that.”
Darnold hopes to use those tough lessons from Minnesota to solidify himself as the Seahawks’ new leader and finally reach his potential as a starting quarterback.
Related Content: Seahawks Release Franchise Icon Tyler Lockett
This report used information from ESPN.
