Maybe the Seattle Seahawks aren’t all-in, and that’s why they grabbed Sam Darnold? Perhaps they wanted someone to be a placeholder for Jalen Milroe? But in terms of the upcoming season, Darnold is the Seahawks’ riskiest move in the 2025 NFL offseason.

Few people, if any, expect Milroe to make an impact this year for the Seahawks. He’s an inconsistent passer, which offsets his tremendous ability to run the football. The good news is the Seahawks can design situational plays for him this year.

But the Seahawks cashed in their chips for Darnold, and that’s the gamble they must live with in 2025.

Seahawks QB Sam Darnold not good under fire

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws the ball during NFC Practice for the Pro Bowl Games at Camping World Stadium.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Let’s get down to cases for this year. Darnold had a mirage season in 2024. The water in the distance looked real as Darnold piled up many games with good numbers.

But in the last two games, blowout losses to the Lions and Rams, Darnold hit rock bottom. He led his team to only nine points in each game and played miserably in both.

This is what teams can expect from Darnold at crunch time. But there’s a worst-case scenario for the Seahawks. Darnold failed with the Vikings despite having Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson. He also had an at least average offensive line. Darnold won’t have any of those things in Seattle.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is a primary slot receiver, will be his top receiver. Aging Marquez Valdes-Scantling will join Jake Bobo as WR2 and WR3, respectively. And the interior offensive line is one of the worst in the NFL.

Imagine Darnold being under immediate pressure in every game because of a weak interior line. This has disaster written all over it.

However, Darnold is taking a high-road positive approach, according to clutchpoints.com. He said he’s not trying to accomplish the same numbers he had with the Vikings.

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“The biggest thing for me is to not think about replicating a season like that,” Darnold said. “I think that it's really starting from square one, what can I do to put myself in a good position every single day to just get better? It's a cliche, but it's a cliche for a reason. I'm going to continue to try to get better every single day, as are all my teammates.”

Unfortunately for Darnold, he may not get the same leash he had with the Vikings. It’s possible Milroe could push him. Not because Milroe is a better quarterback, but just to excite the fan base and give the team a shot in the arm if it gets off to a slow start. It could happen, according to nytimes.com.

“It’s reasonable to expect Milroe to show flashes in the preseason, then spend most, if not all, of his rookie year on the bench behind Darnold,” Michael-Shawn Dugar said. “Anything more would be overestimating Milroe’s readiness and/or underestimating Darnold’s ability to look competent in Kubiak’s offense.

“That said, if Milroe and Darnold produce at comparable levels this summer, or if Milroe is only slightly less productive, then it makes sense to roll with the rookie. Seattle has acknowledged that even with Darnold playing well as the starter, Milroe is too talented to leave off the field completely. But if Milroe plays like a starter, he’s the type of guy you never take off the field.”

Of course, as for the Seahawks' approach, they are rolling with Darnold as a guy who can keep the team in games and give them a chance to win, according to the Seahawks' YouTube page via heavy.com.

“Sam’s going to take, by far and away, over 90% of our snaps this year,” head coach Mike Macdonald said. “However, Jalen deserves and earns the right to go out there, then we’ll do that. There’s always going to be an urgency in how we’re developing our players and how we’re training them. And Jalen’s going to be right there with everybody else.”

Still, Macdonald plans to keep opposing defenses on their toes with Milroe.

“If it’s going to help the team,” Macdonald said. “It’s best for us to move the ball and give these defensive coordinators some headaches, which I’m really happy it’s not going to be us. So, that’s awesome. And yeah, I don’t want to put a timetable on it, but it’s not an immediate need for him to go out there and be taking a bunch of snaps for us initially.”