Darnold, who the Jets made the No. 3 overall pick in 2018, had more than his share of ups and downs in his career before landing in Minnesota last season. Prior to his Pro-Bowl 2024 campaign, in which he helped lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record, he had been traded from the Jets to the Panthers, then after two seasons in Carolina, allowed to leave in free agency, leading to him signing with the 49ers to spend a year as Brock Purdy’s backup. That season proved significant for Darnold, who learned under Kyle Shananan and current Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who was then the 49ers’ passing game coordinator, and it paved the way for him to join the Vikings last season and have the best year of his career.
So of course Darnold has fond memories of his time in Minnesota and bonds with people still there, but that doesn’t change anything about how he will attack his week or approach Sunday’s game.
“I’m very grateful for the time that I spent there,” Darnold said. “All the people that I created relationships with, all the people in that locker room, all the coaches there, the people in that building, but I am very excited to be here and to continue doing what we’re doing this year.”
The Vikings, who selected quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the first round of last year’s draft, did not sign Darnold to an extension last season, or use the franchise tag on him in the offseason, meaning when the Seahawks made the decision to trade Geno Smith to the Raiders, Darnold was available as a free agent and quickly became their top target.
Darnold didn’t want to get into specifics of how things went with Minnesota in the offseason, but said, “At the end of the day, I made the decision to come here and I’m very happy about that decision, and excited to continue to work the way that we’ve been working here and continue to build the relationships in that locker room and with the coaching staff here.”
And it was actually Minnesota’s last trip to Seattle that helped pave the way for the Seahawks to pursue him in free agency. When the Vikings played at Lumen Field last year, Darnold threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, the last of which was a beautifully-thrown deep shot to Justin Jefferson for the go-ahead score. That game alone didn’t convince the Seahawks to sign Darnold, but seeing him compete like that in person definitely played a role in the evaluation.
“You definitely felt Sam throughout the game,” Macdonald said in March after Darnold signed. “You are calling a game plan against the quarterback, the personnel, your people, the person calling the plays on their team. So it was a heck of a battle. It was a knock-down drag out fight to the end, and to Sam’s credit, they kept battling and found a way to win in the end. A lot of respect for, obviously, what he did in the game. Absolutely, to see it in person, see him perform and scout team him throughout the week. You’re watching a lot of tape of pretty much every snap throughout the season. Probably wouldn’t have had that exposure going into the whole thing if we had not have played Sam.
“When it became apparent that we were going to have to pivot away from Geno, we were definitely hoping that it was going to land with Sam… And there’s some great quarterbacks out there that we looked into, but really apparent that Sam was our guy. Once we decided to make the move with Geno, understanding who was out there, definitely Sam became the No. 1 focus pretty quickly.”
That move, one of several great offseason additions by general manager and president of football operations John Schneider, has paid off in a big way for the Seahawks. With Darnold leading the way, the Seahawks are 8-3 and have one of the most explosive passing attacks, with Darnold posting league-best marks in yards-per-completion (13.5) and yards-per-attempt (9.3) averages, while ranking fourth in passer rating (106.2).
As impressive as Darnold was in Minnesota last year, he is playing even better this year. Plenty of people wondered if he could top his Pro-Bowl performance in 2024, but the Seahawks saw in Darnold a player still on the rise, and he has proven them right this season.
“I think Sam’s best days are ahead of him, and I think you’ve seen that through the course of his career,” Macdonald said in March. “How he’s able to grow as a player. Talking with some are defensive guys, we felt him out there (in Seattle’s loss to the Vikings). When you play quarterbacks, or a quarterback is on your team, you want to feel them in the game. And you definitely feel Sam’s presence and poise, competitiveness, accuracy, like the downfield threat, that’s definitely a part of it. And then being able to run the show, too, operationally; Sam can do it with the best of them as well.”
Darnold could approach Sunday’s game as a chance to show the Vikings what they missed out on by letting him leave, but that isn’t the approach that got him this far in his career. Yes, Darnold appreciated his time in Minnesota, but now he is thrilled to be a Seahawk, and his only focus in on helping his team keep pace in the playoff race.
“We went down that path and at the end of the day, I’m here,” Darnold said. “Whatever people want to say about it, it is what it is. I’m just very thankful to be here and be in this situation.”