Oct 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Richard Sherman on the Thursday Night Football Tonight set at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Seahawks great Richard Sherman questions J.J. McCarthy hype, backs Sam Darnold

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Sep 13, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Seattle Seahawks were the lucky winners of the Sam Darnold sweepstakes this offseason, signing the top free agent quarterback to a three-year deal worth just over $100 million.

With this move, the Seahawks not only got their new quarterback, but the Minnesota Vikings, Darnold's former team, officially handed the keys to J.J. McCarthy. The No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft was a complete wild card after missing his entire rookie season due to meniscus tear, but on Monday night, we finally got an idea of what he could be.

McCarthy had a rough start against his hometown Chicago Bears in primetime, but once the fourth quarter rolled around, he showed why the Vikings placed so much faith in him. He completed six of eight passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns in the final frame, and added a tough rushing touchdown to help the Vikings pull off a furious comeback. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.

However, many remain skeptical of McCarthy after his rough first three quarters, and legendary Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman is in that camp.

"We're judging this guy off a good quarter... the jury's still out for me."

Richard Sherman on JJ McCarthy

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— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) September 11, 2025

"Just need to see a lot more of it," Sherman said on "Up & Adams." "He played really well in the fourth. He executed and completed some passes, but I also saw the Chicago Bears fall apart. I want to see this against the Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions, I want to see this against the guys that we know, guys that are established, defenses that are established. Because if you get it, and you get some success, that's great.

"But this was the 17-game season that we had to judge Sam Darnold for, and we're judging this guy off a good quarter of football. The jury's still out for me."

Richard Sherman believes Sam Darnold can win big games for Seahawks

Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

After Sherman's comments on McCarthy, host Kay Adams asked Sherman if the Vikings let Darnold walk due to his perceived inability to win big games, particularly the final two games of last season where he struggled greatly in playoff-type scenarios. However, Sherman rejected that notion and came to Darnold's defense.

"You can say that about 90 percent of the quarterbacks in the National Football League," Sherman said. "There's only four of them with rings, so then you could say the rest of them couldn't win the big one. Could you say that about Herbert? Could you say that about Burrow? Could you say that about Lamar? Could you say that about Josh Allen at times?

"If that's the barometer of judging quarterbacks, then none of them, you can't mention any of them."

Danold admittedly had a rough debut for the Seahawks, completing 16 of 23 passes for 150 yards and a back-breaking fumble in Sunday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but there's plenty of time for him to improve. He'll even have a chance to prove his former team wrong in Week 13, when the Seahawks welcome McCarthy and the Vikings to Lumen Field.

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

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