{"id":92361,"date":"2025-05-31T04:22:27","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T04:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/92361\/"},"modified":"2025-05-31T04:22:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T04:22:27","slug":"seattle-seahawks-darnold-on-rich-eisen-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/92361\/","title":{"rendered":"Seattle Seahawks’ Darnold on Rich Eisen Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quarterback Sam Darnold joined The Rich Eisen Show on Thursday<\/a> to talk about his journey to the Seattle Seahawks.<\/p>\n

Why Schlereth differs from national perception of Seahawks<\/a><\/p>\n

Here are three things you need to know.<\/p>\n

\u2022 1. Darnold didn\u2019t know he\u2019d join the Seahawks until two days before signing.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a wild ride for NFL free agents. Top targets have their choice of several suitors, and sometimes last-minute news can help sway them toward one team over another.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what happened for Darnold, who got wind of a potential Geno Smith trade and found himself eyeing Seattle. That trade is what ultimately put the Hawks in motion for Darnold (go figure), and it led to a deal coming together with Seattle relatively quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re kind of narrowing things down,\u201d Darnold said. \u201cI\u2019m talking to my agent and all the sudden we find out Geno is potentially getting traded. When we found that out, that was kind of like, OK, Seattle\u2019s in the mix for sure. Things just kind of happened behind the scenes and before you know it there\u2019s certain things moving.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt all happened so fast. You don\u2019t really know like two days before you sign, and all the sudden I knew \u2014 especially after the Geno trade happened \u2014 I felt like this could be a good place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other factors at play? Darnold\u2019s familiarity with new Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, and what he felt was an impressive defense under head coach Mike Macdonald that was hard to play against last season.<\/p>\n

\u2022 2. Cooper Kupp\u2019s unique route running fascinates Darnold, but also means getting more reps is important.<\/p>\n

An underrated part of Darnold\u2019s transition to Seattle is time spent learning every receiver\u2019s body language.<\/p>\n

All eyes have been on the development of the offensive line and on Kubiak\u2019s scheme, but Darnold has more than pressure to worry about \u2014 he\u2019s got an entirely new group of pass catchers, two of whom (Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling) are new to Seattle themselves.<\/p>\n

Darnold can see why Kupp is a former All-Pro.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoop\u2019s amazing. The way he moves is very unique,\u201d Darnold said. \u201cBeing able to get a ton of reps with him and just see how he gets in and out of routes, like I said, is different. But that\u2019s what makes him such a great player is just the way he can make certain routes look the same and he ends up in a completely different spot. It\u2019s very unique. So being able to get those reps with him has been amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 3. There\u2019s not one thing that \u201cclicked\u201d with the Vikings; Sam\u2019s journey began years ago.<\/p>\n

It sure looked like Darnold would have to settle for life as a career backup after flaming out with the New York Jets. That was before a career year with Minnesota in 2024: 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns over 17 starts.<\/p>\n

What was the key to his breakout? For Darnold, it didn\u2019t start a year ago. Instead it came with his failures.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t point to one thing,\u201d Darnold said. \u201cI think it\u2019s an accumulation of everything I\u2019ve learned in the NFL. Even going back to being in New York and Carolina, at times when I struggled, I learned. Even going back to my time in San Fran, too, what I learned with Kyle (Shannahan). Klint Kubiak was on that staff as well, but his brother Klay, (quarterbacks coach) Brian Griese, (quarterback) Brock (Purdy) \u2014 just all the people who were in that building helped me out a ton.<\/p>\n

\u201c(I brought) that all the way to Minnesota, and doing my best to understand the playbook, better understand defenses, and the intention of every single play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seattle Seahawks coverage<\/p>\n

\u2022 Seahawks sign undrafted rookie defensive tackle<\/a>
\u2022 Schlereth: Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp \u201clike having an extra tight end\u201d<\/a>
\u2022 Bump: A Seahawks position battle to watch<\/a>
\u2022 Brock: A pivotal trait for Seahawks\u2019 open O-line positions<\/a>
\u2022 Salk: Seattle Seahawks\u2019 D isn\u2019t elite, but a trade could change that<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow @stacyrost<\/a><\/p>\n

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