RENTON, Wash. – Sam Darnold says there’s no hard feelings between him and the Minnesota Vikings after signing a three-year, $100 million deal to join the Seattle Seahawks in free agency this offseason. Without that stint, he wouldn’t have landed the nine-figure contract and start for another playoff contender.
“I’m so grateful,” Darnold told me, while we talked in a hallway outside the team’s indoor practice facility on Friday. “I keep using that word, but it’s true. I’m grateful for my time there and to come into a situation like this, with the coaching staff that we have and our locker room, just how close-knit and how tight we are. It’s such a good situation. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else now.”
Darnold’s sentiment makes sense, considering the Seahawks are in a prime playoff position at 8-3 and the Vikings, who are 4-7 and have lost five of their last six games, have imploded after finishing 14-3 with Darnold at the helm last season.
The guy pegged to replace Darnold? That’s second-year pro J.J. McCarthy, who has struggled to stay healthy. When he’s been on the field, the Michigan product has been one of the worst quarterbacks in football, which has, in turn, made the Vikings surprisingly one of the worst offenses in the league.
Darnold said he and McCarthy stay in touch, but McCarthy has been ruled out for Sunday’s game due to a concussion. Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer will start in his place.
“It sucks when someone gets hurt. I would never wish that on anyone,” Darnold told me. “We were close for sure last year with all the time we spent together. Obviously, even guys I’m best friends with in the NFL, I don’t really talk with them much during the season. Everyone’s got their own mission, but I created a great relationship with J.J. while I was there.”
One of the main attractions for Darnold signing with Seattle was continued familiarity with an offense he ran in both San Francisco and Minnesota, along with working with someone he knew from the 49ers in offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
Darnold said he first worked in the Mike Shanahan-based West Coast offense in his first season in the NFL with New York Jets offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates. He sought an opportunity to get back to that system, signing with San Francisco and offensive guru Kyle Shanahan in free agency in 2023.
“Me and Klint have a great relationship, and we’re continuing to build that relationship, as well,” Darnold said. “Just his personality – he’s got a very dry sense of humor, and I think we relate on that level a little bit. And just the way he is as a person. We’re very similar. No BS is the best way to describe it. We just kind of go about our business. If something needs to be done, we’re going to get it done. If something needs to be said, we’ll say it. But we like to work, and we love football.”
After putting up MVP-worthy numbers with Minnesota last season, Darnold has continued on that path in Seattle. He’s first in yards per attempt (9.3), fourth in passer rating (106) and tied for sixth in passing touchdowns this season.
The Seahawks are second in the league in scoring and Darnold’s top target is the No. 1 receiver in the NFL: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who leads the league in receiving yards (1,301).
Darnold has played well, but he has also had some hiccups, including a four-interception performance in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams earlier this season that brought back memories of the USC product’s late-season struggles with the Vikings last season. Darnold has 10 interceptions on the year, tied for fourth-most in the league, and Seattle is tied for second-most turnovers in the league with 20.
However, Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones vehemently defended Darnold after his poor performance in that big NFC West divisional game against the Rams.
“Sam has had us in every game,” Jones told me. “When you build a relationship with a bunch of guys, and you are as close to guys as you say you are, it’s no one person’s fault, in any situation.
“He’s our quarterback. I’m going to be there for my quarterback, to have his back and protect him. So, I think that’s what it was.”
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said what he likes about Darnold is his even-keeled approach, not getting too high after a big win or too low after a bad performance. Because of that demeanor, Macdonald said he felt like he didn’t need to talk with Darnold about facing his former team.
“I think we as a collective made too big of a deal of it,” Macdonald told me about Darnold after the loss to the Rams. “We had a game where we didn’t hit our marks. We made some tough decisions, put the ball in jeopardy, and you’ve just got to move on. It’s really that simple.
“I’m thinking like after the Washington game, the guy [Darnold] has like a perfect passer rating, throws for [four] touchdowns, we’re on fire and he’s the same guy the next week. It’s not like he’s some kind of superstar or diva that we can’t talk to anymore. He’s just the same guy every day. So, the consistency of his approach and his personality, it’s not easy to do.”
Sam Darnold warms up before his best game of the season, on the road against the Commanders. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Darnold will be tested by Minnesota’s defense, led by blitz-happy defensive coordinator Brian Flores. The Vikings blitz an NFL-high 48.5% of the time. Per Next Gen Stats, Darnold has completed 64% of his passes for 976 yards, with five touchdowns and five interceptions for a 94.0 passer rating against the blitz.
Darnold said practicing against Minnesota’s defense last season should serve him well on Sunday.
“Going against [Flores] in camp, I think one thing that will help me is personnel,” Darnold told me. “It’s being able to play against Harry (Harrison Smith) in training camp and see his body movement and if he’s going to pressure or maybe bail out. The same thing with (Justin) Metellus.
“I feel like him and Harry do a really good job of trying to hide stuff. Having experience in training camp situations with them, I’m not going to be able to read their minds and understand what their thinking, but those reps throughout training camp can definitely help me.”
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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