NFL analyst has concerns about how productive Sam Darnold will be in 2025 and it has nothing to do with his abilities
Quarterback Sam Darnold will lead the Seattle Seahawks' revamped offense in 2025. Darnold resurrected his career with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, throwing for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also tacked on 212 rushing yards and one rushing TD. Still just 27 years old, Darnold could be a long-term solution for the […]
Quarterback Sam Darnold will lead the Seattle Seahawks' revamped offense in 2025.
Darnold resurrected his career with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, throwing for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also tacked on 212 rushing yards and one rushing TD.
Still just 27 years old, Darnold could be a long-term solution for the Seahawks at QB if he plays well. He will not only need to continue to post solid numbers, but lead Seattle to the postseason and win some playoff games, which he was unable to do with the Vikings last season.
NFL.com analyst Kevin Patra projected the outlooks for QBs who changed teams during the offseason, and he has some valid concerns about the pieces that Seattle has around Darnold compared to what he had to work with in Minnesota.
"What a difference a year makes. Darnold was reborn under Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota, finally looking like the passer many envisioned when he entered the NFL way back in 2018. Better late than never. The Seahawks' previous experience with a New York Jets washout worked so well that they're diving back into that deep well. New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak spent the 2023 season with Darnold in San Francisco. The relationship and some scheme familiarities for the QB should be beneficial. Despite those positives, I'm not going to project Darnold to double down on a career year. He's going from a near-ideal offense to one with question marks at receiver and interior O-line. That doesn't mean I think he's going to crater, either. Darnold deserves immense credit for reclaiming a career that had been battered from the very start. The man missed games for mononucleosis, for Pete's sake. He could have slid into oblivion, and the NFL world wouldn't have blinked. It's eaten more talented players alive. Last year, Darnold displayed an ability to make the right read and showed fearlessness zipping the ball into traffic. All those glowing pre-draft reports finally looked accurate. Then came the disastrous final two games, when it looked like his ghosts of yore returned. The reality is that he's probably somewhere in the middle — and his new contract suggested as much. The biggest question in Seattle is whether the interior offensive line, led by first-round pick Grey Zabel, can protect Darnold enough for him to thrive. If so, the match with Kubiak should be a good one. If they struggle, we're likely to see that Week 18 Darnold, with a lot of high passes while he gets crushed by defenders."
While the Seahawks have plenty of upside on offense, they also have quite a few question marks. Zabel is a great left guard prospect, but we won't know what he's capable of until he proves it on the field during the regular season. Right tackle Abraham Lucas needs to prove he can stay healthy, and someone needs to emerge at center and right guard.
As far as Seattle's skill position players go, Jaxon-Smith-Njigba will have to prove that he can be a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver. After that, free agent acquisition and former All-Pro Cooper Kupp needs to stay healthy after missing 19 games over the past three seasons. The Seahawks are also banking on rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo to make an impact.
If all these factors bounce the right way, Darnold could put together a very nice season for Seattle in 2025. Unfortunately, Darnold has yet to prove that he can elevate the guys around him when the chips are down. That could be what ultimately defines his time with Seahawks and his career as a starter in the NFL.
