Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) celebrates with the Vince Lombardi trophy on the podium after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Negative Noise Around Seahawks’ Sam Darnold Still Continues

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Michael Hanich | Last updated Mar 21, 2026 9:02 PM ET

There were a lot of key storylines surrounding the Seattle Seahawks and their chase towards their second Super Bowl title . The biggest storyline was the emergence of quarterback Sam Darnold not only as a franchise quarterback but as a Super Bowl champion. It took some building and tough games, as do all players, but Darnold learned to play great, and even elite, in some of the big games.

For a quarterback who ended the regular season with the most turnovers, Darnold was solid and incredibly efficient. Best of all, no turnovers in all three games for the Seahawks. While many see the franchise quarterback that Darnold turned into.

Darnold Still Has Doubters

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Darnold was one of the main reasons why the Seahawks got their second Super Bowl title in franchise history. He was proficient, made the plays when needed to, and avoided putting the team in bad situations. Darnold has shown he can be a consistently good quarterback in his lone season in Seattle, but try telling that to Fox Sports' Henry McKenna, who still has problems seeing that Darnold can be a high-volume quarterback.

McKenna has Darnold at No. 16 in his 2026 offseason quarterback stock market. Darnold was No. 11 at the time the 2025 season concluded. The one question for Darnold that McKenna has is if he has grown out of those meltdown games.

Darnold finished the regular season with 20 turnovers, three more than Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith. Six were from the two regular-season games against the Los Angeles Rams, including the infamous four interceptions in the 21-19 road Week 11 loss. It should be worth noting that the Seahawks were a long field goal away from completing the comeback win.

What Makes the 2026 NFL Season Different for Darnold?

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Darnold wasn't the only quarterback to have a bad set of plays that resulted in four turnovers. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw three interceptions in the 27-24 road Week 16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw four interceptions and lost a fumble in the 22-19 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 14. Finally, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw four interceptions in the first half of the 28-16 AFC Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots.

Stroud is on the hot seat, but Stafford and Hurts are higher than Darnold on McKenna's list, and Darnold literally won a Super Bowl. He showed he can be the leader of a Seahawks offense that is dynamic and productive. There isn't much to persuade people like this because they would rather look at the small handful of ugly performances and his years with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, more than the large amount of success brought, including a Super Bowl title.

There is plenty that Darnold can improve on, especially those turnovers or assessing the pre-snap blitzes that often get him in trouble. Regardless, Darnold has the whole offseason to train and work out with the Seahawks as opposed to learn the system and culture.

Darnold also gets a full offseason to train with newly re-signed wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, who was picked by Seattle during the NFL Trade Deadline. He has the confidence built and the experience with the Seahawks and his four past teams to show he can pick himself up after a bad situation.

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

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