Winning Super Bowl LX still isn’t enough for Sam Darnold to convince people he’s not the weak link for the Seattle Seahawks. A quarterback who may no longer be able to count on coaches “propping up” his suspect talents.
Ongoing questions about Darnold are why the Seahawks’ NFC West rivals the Los Angeles Rams are considered the best team in the NFL entering the 2026 regular season. That’s according to Diante Lee of The Ringer.
Lee revealed “The only player I still have questions about—fair or not—is quarterback Sam Darnold. For the first time since he was in Carolina, he’s not playing for the coordinator who just won a title with him (Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak) or an elite play caller (like Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell).”
As Lee pointed out, “The Seahawks offense is now being called by Brian Fleury, who was most recently an offensive assistant for the 49ers and doesn’t have play calling experience. After two years of Darnold’s coaches propping him up with their play calling prowess, I’m interested to see whether Fleury is good enough to do the same—and what version of Darnold we’ll see if he’s not.”
It’s a reasonable argument after the Seahawks changed Darnold’s play-caller and lost a key playmaker from his supporting cast in free agency. Even so, there are compelling reasons to believe Darnold can defy the critics once again and finally show he’ a signal-caller who can carry a team, rather than needing to be carried by one.
Sam Darnold Can Adapt to Key Changes
Fresh doubts are tough on Darnold after he posted arguably the most efficient season of his career. He also played some of his best football in the playoffs, when the Seahawks needed him most.
It’s why a former NFL wide receiver tips Darnold to go from strength to strength. Darnold knows he has the faith of the Seahawks, but the confidence he accrued during last season’s Super Bowl run-in isn’t the only reason Seattle’s QB1 can allay any fears about his ability to still deliver, despite a new coordinator.
Those reasons include Klint Kubiak’s replacement Brian Fleury coming from a San Francisco 49ers system Darnold knows well. He spent the 2023 season in the Bay Area, so Darnold’s already familiar with how the playbook might change, if at all.
Fleury worked for Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco and Kyle’s father Mike developed the schemes Kubiak’s father Gary also passed on to his son. Plenty of crossover in play design should help Darnold maintain his levels.
He’ll also take confidence from his recent ability to adapt quickly to new coaches and new skill-players. It’s what Darnold did when he left the Minnesota Vikings to join the Seahawks and swapped throwing to Justin Jefferson with targeting Jaxon Smith-Njigba and handing off to Kenneth Walker III.
The latter’s MVP performance helped Darnold lift the Lombardi Trophy, but the Seahawks have changed the pecking order in the backfield considerably since.
Seahawks Still Strong Around Quarterback
Using their first pick in the 2026 NFL draft to select Jadarian Price gave the Seahawks an obvious potential replacement for Walker. Price will supplement a reshuffled backfield committee that earned former Green Bay Packers back Emanuel Wilson during free agency.
Wilson, Price, second-year pro Kenny McIntosh, incumbent George Holani, and the return from injury of bruiser Zach Charbonnet, will ensure the running game continues to protect Darnold.
He’ll also benefit from the Seahawks keeping a stellar receiver corps intact after bringing back dynamic, versatile speedster Rashid Shaheed to support Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp.
Darnold has all the weapons he needs to prove he’s no concern for the Seahawks. He’s more likely to make the most of his supporting cast if the Seahawks offer him a lucrative contract extension.
Shortening the wait for a new deal is a strong motivation for Darnold, and one more reason he’ll be an asset for this season’s Seahawks, not a liability.
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