NFL draft prospect, Jalen Milroe of Alabama, arrives during the NFL Draft Red Carpet event at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Thursday, April 24, 2025. Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Seahawks kept Sam Darnold in the loop on major 2025 NFL draft decision

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated May 18, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Seattle Seahawks talked about drafting a quarterback before they needed one for so long that when they actually did it the news came as a shock. Over the years, general manager John Schneider always seemed "open" to picking a quarterback, and reportedly showed a lot of interest in future superstars like Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, as well as late-bloomer Sam Darnold, who just signed a three-year, $100 million deal with Seattle to be their new starting quarterback.

Darnold may be a solid first on the depth chart right now, but he's going to have to fight off multiple contenders to potentially take over that role during the offseason. Veteran Drew Lock projects as the team's number two option - and the fact that they brought him back after a year with the Giants shows how much faith they have in him.

That said, the real competition for Darnold arrived in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft, when the Seahawks took Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe - their first pick at the position since Russell Wilson back in 2012 - not counting the throw-away seventh-rounder they used on Alex McGough.

Apparently the Seahawks gave Darnold a heads-up that they planned to draft a quarterback. That's what Schneider told Rich Eisen in an interview last week, anyway h/t Pro Football talk.

"Yeah, coach Mike Macdonald gave Sam a heads up, it was kind of in that period just coming down the pike, like, 'Hey, this isn't about you, This is about acquiring an impact player, in our opinion... So, Mike talked to Sam. I was able to communicate with Drew. And, obviously we were communicating with Sam Howell throughout the weekend, as well."

Howell had been demoted to the QB3 spot in the wake of the Drew Lock signing. Drafting Jalen Milroe would have bumped him down to the No. 4 quarterback role, but instead that pick opened a path to eventually deal Howell to the Minnesota Vikings on Day 3.

For now, Milroe will fill that third spot beneath Lock and Darnold.

Although both Lock and Darnold are more athletic than former starter Geno Smith. There's no doubting Milroe is the best athlete in the group, though.

Just how long Milroe remains in that QB3 role will depend partially on how well Darnold does in 2025 (Seattle can get out from under his contract after just one year if it goes bad). However, the real timeline will depend on how quick Milroe develops the parts of his game that are still too raw to give him the starting position right away.

Among those areas Milroe needs to work on are throwing with more touch as opposed to zip, more consistent accuracy in the short and intermediate parts of the field and better decision making when facing pressure in the pocket.

If he can grow in those parts of his game, Milroe's absurd speed and arm power will give him all the potential he needs to develop into a Pro Bowler some day.

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

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