Seahawks’ Darnold to use classes from disastrous ’24 end

RENTON, Wash. — Sam Darnold was virtually 14 minutes into his introductory information convention at Seattle Seahawks headquarters Thursday when he received the query he knew was coming.

What did he study from the disappointing finish to his resurgent season with the Minnesota Vikings?

“I used to be ready for somebody to carry that up,” Darnold mentioned whereas flanked on stage by coach Mike Macdonald and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. “I admire that.

“No, it is honest, man. You get all the way in which to that time, you could have the season that we had offensively, as a staff, and then you definitely run into on the finish of the day. Just one staff can win the Tremendous Bowl and sadly, we weren’t that staff.”

Darnold and the Vikings appeared poised for a deep playoff run till the wheels of his Professional Bowl season began to come back unfastened in Week 18, when he accomplished solely 18 of 41 makes an attempt in a 31-9 loss to the Detroit Lions. Every week later, he was sacked 9 occasions in a 27-9 defeat by the Los Angeles Rams within the wild-card spherical.

Darnold had thrown 35 landing passes over the primary 16 video games however threw just one over the ultimate two.

“I feel with the ability to get the ball out somewhat bit faster on a few of the dropback stuff that we had these final couple video games and understanding the place the retailers are and even when a man is roofed, even when my backs coated on a checkdown, simply throwing it at his toes,” he mentioned. “I really feel like I used to be taking some pointless sacks final 12 months, particularly these previous couple of video games. … I am going to positively be excited about that, conserving two palms on the ball within the pocket always. Simply doing all of the little elementary issues, however that is an enormous one, is with the ability to simply get the ball out on time.”

Darnold will look to use that lesson in Seattle beneath Kubiak. He mentioned his relationship with Seattle’s newly employed coordinator and familiarity along with his scheme was “positively” a think about his resolution to hitch the Seahawks on a three-year deal that features $55 million assured. Darnold was Brock Purdy‘s backup in 2023 when Kubiak was the 49ers’ passing sport coordinator. He had bounced from the New York Jets, who drafted him No. 3 in 2018, to the Carolina Panthers after which to San Francisco.

“Sam’s extraordinarily gifted,” Kubiak mentioned. “Clearly, an ideal thrower of the soccer. His mobility stands out, his toughness, his maturity. The factor about Sam that actually stands out is he is an A-plus teammate. He elevates these round him and the fellows he performs with respect him as a result of when your finest gamers are your hardest employees, that is what you actually try for. That is what you need as a coach, and Sam has that in spades.”

The Vikings had curiosity in bringing again Darnold however didn’t use the franchise tag, with final 12 months’s tenth choose, J.J. McCarthy, getting back from a severe knee damage that sidelined him for the whole lot of his rookie season. Darnold was requested the place his head was at after the season with regard to a possible return to Minnesota versus a want to hit free company.

“We had been type of all potentialities, to be trustworthy,” he mentioned. “Simply very pleased that every one roads type of led to Seattle.”

Darnold started to see that as a risk when information broke Friday that the Seahawks had traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round choose. Talking with reporters after Darnold’s information convention, normal supervisor John Schneider mentioned the Seahawks supplied Smith an extension, and that they turned their focus to a commerce when it turned obvious that they would not have the ability to get a deal executed.

“It was an fascinating collection of occasions, for certain,” Macdonald mentioned. “However when it turned obvious that we needed to pivot away from Geno, I used to be positively hoping that it was going to land with Sam. There was a while there. Everybody concerned within the course of was superior. … There have been some nice quarterbacks on the market that we regarded into, however it was actually obvious that Sam was our man.”

Macdonald received an up shut take a look at Darnold late final season at Lumen Area, when the final of his three landing passes — a 39-yard strike to Justin Jefferson with 4 minutes left — gave the Vikings a 27-24 win over Seattle. It was one in every of 5 game-winning drives he led in 2024.

In a lighthearted second, Darnold used a query about that efficiency to subtly rub it in his new coach’s face.

“I am excited to speak about this,” he joked. “How lengthy have we received?”

Darnold famous his different win on the Seahawks’ house stadium, a 30-24 victory with the Carolina Panthers in 2022. That was a part of his 4-2 document as their starter after taking up for the ultimate six video games. The 49ers additionally beat the Seahawks in Seattle the next 12 months, whereas Darnold was backing up Purdy.

Now he is again within the NFC West, which implies annual conferences with the staff that sacked him 9 occasions, ended his bounce-back season with the Vikings and despatched him to Seattle with some vital classes discovered.

“We will see L.A. twice a 12 months, clearly, enjoying on this division,” Darnold mentioned. “Actually wanting ahead to that.”