Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold participates in pregame warmups against the Seattle Seahawks. Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

'Energized' Sam Darnold has Seahawks' Mike Macdonald fired up

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Apr 6, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Seattle Seahawks' addition of Sam Darnold has many in the organization excited, perhaps none more so than head coach Mike Macdonald.

Unlike other coaches on the staff, namely offensive coordinator Kliny Kubiak, Macdonald didn't really cross paths with Darnold much before the quarterback came to Seattle. Now that he's had a few weeks to get to know Darnold, though, he finds himself itching to get to work with him.

"I think it's interesting because I haven't had a relationship with Sam before a couple weeks ago, and it's been awesome so far, our conversations," Macdonald said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "It's been really cool to hear about people that have had a relationship with him in his life kind of throughout his journey, and all positive things they say about him. All the way back to his college days at USC, we have some of those folks still in our building right now.

"I'm most excited about the person, the leader, the teammate, that guy that we get to work with every day. I think he's in a great spot from our conversations. I think he's energized, he's driven and just like the rest of us in the building, so he's going to fit right in."

Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, struggled for much of his career. He flamed out with the New York Jets, didn't impres with the Carolina Panthers and spent one year as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers.

Everything changed last year with the Minnesota Vikings, though. Darnold suddenly began playing at a near-MVP level, as he completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He led the Vikings to an improbably 14-3 record, and while the end of the season was ugly, his year as a whole was still remarkably impressive.

The Seahawks were the lucky team to land him, as he replaces the departed Geno Smith under center. More than that, they're trusting him to lead a new-look offense with a completely overhauled receiving corps and an offensive line that still needs a ton of work.

The first impressions are good, but they'll have to see him in action before making any true judgements.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: