All eyes on Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold as NFL teams begin OTAs

On Tuesday, the Seattle Seahawks were one of 20 NFL teams to begin organized team activities (OTAs). While the Seahawks have several new faces to integrate, including their 11-player rookie draft class, all eyes will be on quarterback Sam Darnold.

After a monster season as the starting quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings, Darnold cashed in by signing a three-year, $100.5 million contract with the Seahawks in free agency. The former No. 3 overall pick was a feel-good story in 2024, but that was an entirely different situation.

Darnold was under very little pressure to succeed last season and had the advantage of playing under QB wizard Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota. Now that the pressure is on, can Darnold live up to the elevated expectations in Seattle?

A new feature from CBS Sports broke down one thing to watch for each NFC team during OTAs. For the Seahawks, all eyes will be on Darnold as he adjusts to life outside of Minnesota.

"Darnold was in the perfect situation with the Vikings," wrote CBS Sports' Garrett Podell. "Now, he's on a Seahawks team that had massive offensive line issues in 2024. Seattle allowed a 39.4% quarterback pressure rate in 2024, the third-highest in the league last season."

Aside from Seattle's offensive line issues, Podell raised concerns about Darnold's ability to handle pressure, something he'll be watching closely.

"Darnold melts when pressured: he was pressured 49 times combined in Week 18 at the Detroit Lions and in a wild card round loss at the Los Angeles Rams, and the Vikings were blown out twice as a result. Yes, Darnold can't get hit in practice, but it will be interesting to see how he acclimates to becoming the Seahawks quarterback."