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November 17, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald talks to his staff during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

ESPN insider identifies how Seattle Seahawks coaches need to help Sam Darnold

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated Jul 19, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The Seattle Seahawks took a big risk by swapping Geno Smith for Sam Darnold this offseason. Whether it works out or not will depend on a lot of different moving parts - but one critical element that can't get lost in the shuffle is how Seattle's coaching staff manages him.

Last year with the Minnesota Vikings Darnold's supporting cast was definitely better overall than it will be this coming season. The greatest difference will be the boost he got from playing for one of the league's top-five offensive minds in head coach Kevin O'Connell. Meanwhile on the Seahawks Mike Macdonald is exclusively a defensive genius, and as yet Klint Kubiak is relatively unproven as an offensive coordinator.

That difference could be huge in determining just how close Darnold comes to matching his excellent 2024 production in Minnesota. Coaching is more than just a schematic battle, though. According to Bill Barnwell at ESPN, the real key to managing Darnold may be a mental one.

ESPN on Sam Darnold's big challenge

“Week in and week out, you’re going to have some moments where you take sacks (and) you don’t look great... That happens to every quarterback. But can you fight past that? If you make a mistake, can you come back out in the next drive and look good?"

“The issue is not the arm with Sam. It’s the head. So I think keeping his head consistent from week to week, keeping him afloat and keeping him with some level of confidence is going to be an important task for the coaching staff, and also think for Sam himself.”

This take is correct by Barnwell. It's also true of the vast majority of quarterbacks, even those that have graduated to the highest level of the game. There are QBs who don't ride emotional highs and stay even-keeled after bad throws, bad drives and the occasional bad games. Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Joe Burrow come to mind - but those are extremely rare examples.

Most quarterbacks thrive on getting into a rhythm and building their confidence as the game goes on - and they tend to struggle when things get tough. Sam Darnold is no exception to that rule, and there's nothing wrong with that.

How the Seahawks can help

The easiest way to keep Darnold's confidence meter going at a high level is of course to not ask him to do too much - the way they often did of Geno Smith during his three-year run, particularly in 2024.

Above all that means embracing a run-first offensive attack that actually works and get the Seahawks ahead of schedule to set up the deep play action bombs that represent Darnold's most-lethal weapon in his repertoire.

Obviously Darnold will have to do more than that - but that basic structure should be familiar to Seahawks fans - who watched Russell Wilson run a similar dynamic early in his career as he leaned on an elite defense.

Seattle should once again have a top-five unit on that side of the ball for the first time in a decade, which will further help take the load off Darnold's shoulders.

The one fatal flaw that can bring this whole facade down is of course the team's offensive line, which PFF has ranked 30th in the league going into the season. If that unit upends expectations and puts in a good year, the sky is the limit. If they're truly one of the NFL's worst then Macdonald and Kubiak may have to do a whole lot of managing Darnold's mentals.

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

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