Who the Seahawks believe they have in new QB Sam Darnold

The Sam Darnold era has officially begun in the Pacific Northwest.

The Seattle Seahawks announced the signing of Sam Darnold and introduced their new starting quarterback during a press conference Thursday afternoon.

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Darnold is joining the Seahawks on a three-year deal worth $100.5 million, per multiple reports. The contract includes $55 million of guaranteed money and $37.5 million in the first year, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

During The John Schneider Show on Seattle Sports, general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald on Thursday shared what they see in Darnold to Wyman and Bob.

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Darnold was one of the feel-good stories in the NFL last season.

The USC product began his career with the New York Jets after being selected third overall in the 2018 draft. However, Darnold struggled during his three years in New York.

He had a 13-25 record as a starter with the Jets and completed just 59.8% of his throws for 8,097 yards, 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions. During his tenure in New York, he had 10 multi-interception games, including five with three or more.

Darnold was traded to the Carolina Panthers prior to the 2021 campaign and was the starter until losing his role Baker Mayfield in 2022. His turnover issues persisted in Carolina, as he threw as many interceptions as touchdowns (16) in 18 games.

In 2023, he took a step back and went to San Francisco to be the backup for Brock Purdy.

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Darnold joined the Minnesota Vikings last season and was slated to battle with rookie first-round pick J.J. McCarthy for the starting role. Darnold ended up getting the job when McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury during the preseason.

A storybook comeback season ensued.

Darnold led Minnesota to a 14-3 record and playoff berth. He set career highs across the board, completing 66.2% of his passes for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. His efforts earned him a Pro Bowl nod and a top-10 finish in MVP voting.

However, Darnold seemed to revert to his old self in the Vikings’ to final games.

In the season finale with a chance to win the NFC North title, he completed just 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards in a 31-9 loss to Detroit. Darnold threw an interception, lost a fumble and was sacked nine times the following week as the Vikings lost 27-9 to the the Rams in the wild card round of the playoffs.

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Wyman and Bob co-host Bob Stelton asked Schneider and Macdonald which version of Darnold the Seahawks believe is the real one.

“I’m going off of what I witnessed with my own two eyes,” Macdonald said, referring to Darnold’s 246-yard, three-TD performance in Minnesota’s win over Seattle in Week 16. “People that we know that know him, that work with him on a daily basis, and then ultimately the tape – and the tape was really impressive.”

DARNOLD TO JETTAS. VIKINGS RE-TAKE THE LEAD.

📺: #MINvsSEA on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/67RQyrb9vP

— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2024

Schneider said his experience with quarterbacks whose career arcs are similar to Darnold’s give him confidence what was on display for most of 2024 is what the Seahawks are getting.

“Watching Rich Gannon develop and Matt Hasselbeck and Geno (Smith) as of late – watching that progression – that gives you confidence in the trajectory of his career,” Schneider said.

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A self-aware leader

Darnold addressed his late struggles in Minnesota during his press conference.

“I kind of look at those last couple games, I think being able to get the ball out a little bit quicker on some of the drop-back stuff that we had those last couple games, and understanding where the outlets are,” Darnold said. “And even if a guy is covered, like even if my back is covered on a check-down, just throwing it at his feet. I felt like I was taking some unnecessary sacks last year, especially those last few games.

“Just gotta continue to work (on) that however I can.”

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Those comments impressed Schneider.

“The self-aware part in the press conference that these guys did today, I thought was really cool,” Schneider said. “He’s just owns it … and that honesty and that sincerity is like a natural leadership skill, just the self-awareness.”

The John Schneider Show airs at 4 p.m. each Thursday during Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob leading up to the first round of the NFL Draft on April 24. Hear this week’s edition in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post.

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