You are familiar with the story: team signs Matt Flynn to a contract that makes him seem like the starter until we find out that most of it wasn\u2019t guaranteed; Tarvaris Jackson represents the steady, respected veteran; and Russell Wilson is drafted in the third round with tons of upside and potential.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It isn\u2019t\u00a0exactly\u00a0the same this time around, but certainly the three characters involved can represent those same roles. Sam Darnold was given a much more lucrative deal (and has accomplished a whole lot more than Flynn), but it is effectively a mid-level deal with an opportunity for the Seahawks to move on after one season. Drew Lock returns to play the part of Jackson. And Jalen Milroe is the third-round rookie with tons of upside and potential (faster, though admittedly not nearly as polished as Wilson was at the time).<\/p>\n
In 2012, the assumption, at first, was that it was Flynn\u2019s job to lose. But when he was asked<\/a> by Rich Eisen a few days after he signed, he said \u201cno,\u201d he had not been given the job and would compete for it instead. And that was months before Wilson showed up and wowed everyone from the coaching staff to the fanbase. We don\u2019t need Paul Harvey to tell us the rest of the story \u2013 we know how it turned out. Wilson won the competition and the rest was history.<\/p>\n Sam Darnold has started 73 games in the NFL. That is 71 more starts than Flynn had when he arrived, though at 35-38, his record is a few percentage points below Flynn\u2019s .500 average.\u00a0 The point is, Darnold isn\u2019t a near unknown.<\/p>\n But he is far from a sure thing. There was so much to like during his last season in Minnesota and a tremendous story to be told about how he has learned from his mistakes, grown into being a starter and found the right system for his skills. But there are fair questions as to whether it completely erases the five rough seasons that cost him starting jobs in New York and Carolina.<\/p>\n Darnold did not have, to my eyes, his best day Monday. It was the first day of OTA practices open to the media (though not the first day of practice for the team) and he looked tentative at times. He threw two interceptions in the red zone and was late and\/or behind receivers multiple times. Those were, of course, mixed in with some successful throws as well. While it wasn\u2019t exactly a large body of work to judge, it was the first and only in-person impression we have of his play so far and it was far from perfect.<\/p>\n It led me to wonder if there was any scenario in which, barring injury, Darnold wouldn\u2019t be the starter in Week 1 against the Niners. So I asked Mike Macdonald.<\/p>\n “Sam’s our starting quarterback.”#Seahawks<\/a> coach Mike Macdonald to @BrockHuard<\/a> & @TheMikeSalk<\/a> on @SeattleSports<\/a>.<\/p>\n FULL VIDEO \ud83d\udcfa: https:\/\/t.co\/2nHH3MqeNL<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ZSwNxMOpR7<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) June 3, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cNo, you guys are crazy. Like, I respect you gotta ask it, but like \u2026 it\u2019s just a crazy question. Sam\u2019s our starting quarterback. We love him, he\u2019s doing a tremendous job.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s funny that the media is out there for like the first day and all of a sudden they know exactly how good we\u2019re going to be and how good all the players are and all the tempos. We (haven\u2019t) even put on pads yet. Like, we haven\u2019t made one tackle.<\/p>\n (Editor\u2019s note: Macdonald used a playfully sarcastic tone for the next paragraph.)<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it turns out a practice, it\u2019s a great way to build culture by letting guys know that they can\u2019t make mistakes. That\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re shooting for. So go out to practice, be tight, make sure you don\u2019t make a mistake because then, God forbid, you\u2019re the worst player of all-time because you made one bad throw or one bad decision.<\/p>\n \u201cLike, that is not what we\u2019re trying to build. We want these guys to go prepare the right way, and then we go out on the practice field, go freaking let it rip. And then we\u2019ll go fix it. We\u2019ll go. We\u2019ve got time. It\u2019s June \u2013 it\u2019s June 3. We\u2019ll go. OK, they\u2019re going to get plenty of reps. We\u2019ll get those things fixed.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, Sam made a lot of great throws yesterday. He\u2019s gashing us on third-and-goal to start the day out, too. So yeah, that was kind of a crazy question.\u201d<\/p>\n More: \u2018Crazy question,\u2019 Seattle Seahawks coach responds when asked about QB situation<\/a><\/p>\n What a great answer! I believe it\u2019s my job to ask about what I saw, and it\u2019s a coach\u2019s job to support his player in the answer. He did that incredibly well.<\/p>\n Now we know. There may be some long-term similarities to 2012, but this will not be an open competition in July and into August. Coaches have two options when they have multiple intriguing options at quarterback: they can back one player and support him with great intent with the hopes of solidifying his position, or they can open the competition to try to get the best out of each player and then go with the option that rises to the top.<\/p>\n In this case, the other two options may be intriguing, but they aren\u2019t legitimate contenders for the job. Lock has been let go by three organizations (including this one), though if he\u2019s looking for a blueprint on how to create a mid-career resurgence, Geno Smith and Darnold seem like perfect case studies. Milroe is about as fast and fun as it gets, but no one seems to think he is polished enough to take on that kind of responsibility for quite some time.<\/p>\n This is Sam Darnold\u2019s job. And the coach will show him love, trust and support\u00a0\u2013 even, or maybe especially, after a tough sequence in practice. He will give Sam space to learn from his mistakes and improve between now and September. He will, in a word, coach his most important player. There is no quarterback controversy in Seattle right now. Darnold deserves the first shot at this. That job is not guaranteed for life, or even for a full season, but there is no question now that it is his.<\/p>\n More on the Seattle Seahawks<\/p>\n \u2022 Unlike last year, Seattle Seahawks\u2019 defense now gets to \u201cjust play fast\u201d<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Brock Huard: Clock is ticking on Seattle Seahawks at one position<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Why NFL insider isn\u2019t sold on Seattle Seahawks\u2019 offseason<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0An area where the Seattle Seahawks\u2019 draft class ranks No. 1<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0What we learned from Seattle Seahawks\u2019 Darnold on Rich Eisen Show<\/a><\/p>\n
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