Sam Darnold has a whole lot of pressure in his new threads in Seattle. The Seahawks signed him to a three year, $100.5 million contract this offseason just days after trading Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders. I’m sure it was a calculated move, but one that will draw significant scrutiny if he doesn’t perform well.
If his first OTA session in front of media members is any indication of how his first season will go, it will be a regression from his standout 2023 season. Darnold had an up and down session on Monday, throwing a couple of picks in the redzone during drills, as ESPN's Brady Henderson points out.
Gregg Bell of The News Tribune pointed out that Darnold and the starting offense struggled so much, that offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak yelled at them during practice.
"Darnold’s starting offense struggled to the point new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak let Darnold know about it, loudly, as the QB stood in the huddle between plays. The starting defense loved that," writes Bell.
While there was some bad, there was also some good from Darnold, as he threw a couple of touchdowns during practice, as Brady Condotta of the Seattle Times points out.
The Seattle Seahawks overhauled their offense and can’t afford a Sam Darnold regression
Again, this is June during OTAs; not much is going to come from these drills. But it’s fun to analyze how performing now will have any effect on the season. In Darnold’s case, he’s going to look much like his old self, rather than the refurbished product the Seahawks were hoping to get.
First impressions are everything, especially in the NFL. Darnold’s first impression with the Seahawks is a sign of more possible struggles for Darnold.
Seattle turned to Darnold for a specific reason; they truly saw him as their franchise guy. Smith is already in his 30s and reached the NFL playoffs just once since taking over for Russell Wilson. He was always a bridge option that was afforded more time than most. Darnold isn’t a bridge option.
That’s why winning now is the utmost priority for him and this Seahawks offense. He’s a player that’s going to be heavily criticized one way or the other. He was a former top five pick, which means at this point in his career, he’s considered a bust.
Not only does he not have an excuse because he’s a former first round pick, but also because the Seahawks have been intentional about giving him enough weapons to succeed. He may not have DK Metcalf, but he has Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Darnold not only has to justify this contract, but prove the Seahawks made the right decision. That starts with OTAs. Monday wasn’t a good start, but there’s more than enough time to correct that.
He doesn’t have to be perfect. Darnold just has to show the Seahawks didn’t make a mistake. Here’s to a long summer of scrutiny but the perfect chance to prove everyone was wrong about him.