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From the third overall pick in 2018, to three teams in a six-year span. Former USC quarterback Sam Darnold had his early struggles in the National Football League. After three disappointing seasons with the New York Jets, he was traded to Carolina for a total of three draft choices in 2021 and ’22. He played in a total of 18 games and again had his ups and downs.
It was off to the west coast via a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the 49ers. He made a total of 10 appearances, and started the club’s regular-season finale. It was back to the free-agent market a year later, inking a one-year, $10 million contract with Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings.
The rest is recent history. Darnold easily enjoyed a career-year with the Purple Gang. Minnesota finished 14-3 and reached the playoffs, and Darnold was named to the Pro Bowl. The season ended with a thud in losses to the Lions, and then the Rams in the playoffs. They were the only two teams that O’Connell’s club failed to defeat in 2024.
Now he’s a member of the Seattle Seahawks courtesy of a lucrative three-year, $100.5 million deal. How he wound up in the Pacific Northwest is quite the tale.
After things did not work out between the team and three-year starter Geno Smith (traded to the Raiders), general manager John Schneider was looking at other quarterbacks.
“Two got their attention,” explained SI.com’s Albert Breer. “One was bringing (Aaron) Rodgers to Seattle. Schneider and the four-time NFL MVP were together for five years in Green Bay, and the GM thought Rodgers had plenty left to give, at least in 2025. The other was the thought of resetting with Darnold, who’d come in for less than Smith was looking for…while leaving room for the team to navigate looming contract talks with young stars such as Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Charles Cross, Kenneth Walker III and Boye Mafe.
“The other thing (head coach Mike) Macdonald had was a new coordinator, in Klint Kubiak, who was with Darnold in San Francisco, and described this “gravitational pull” he had with his teammates, even as the backup…”
To make a long story short, Kubiak is now the offensive coordinator for Macdonald and Darnold. It’s a great example of resiliency and opportunity, and it will be fascinating to see the results in 2025.
More Seahawks on SI stories
NFL analyst compares Seahawks QB Sam Darnold to ‘tavern ham’
Seahawks 7-round 2025 NFL mock draft goes defense first & second
Seahawks OL target ranked among top 5 remaining NFL free agents
Grading Seahawks for two big trades, first wave of free agent signings
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NFL, ESPN agree to two expansive non-binding agreements
Despite the day belonging to ESPN and its reporters, it was Mark Maske of The Washington Post who broke the news first. Per Maske, the NFL and Disney-owned ESPN have completed the long-rumored deal, giving ESPN NFL Network and certain other media assets (including RedZone and NFL Fantasy) in exchange for 10% equity stake in ESPN. The second non-binding agreement, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, sees the NFL license to ESPN certain NFL content and intellectual property to be used by NFL Network and other assets. “Today’s announcement paves the way for the world’s leading sports media brand and America’s most popular sport to deliver an even more compelling experience for NFL fans, in a way that only ESPN and Disney can,” CEO of The Walt Disney Company Roger Iger said in a statement released by ESPN’s Lily Blum. He continued, “Commissioner (Roger Goodell) and the NFL have built outstanding media assets, and these transactions will add to consumer choice, provide viewers with even greater convenience and quality, and expand the breadth and value proposition of Disney’s streaming ecosystem.” Given ESPN’s streaming abilities — through multiple streaming apps such as ESPN Watch, ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+ — the agreements should make available lots of content exclusive to the NFL and NFL Network available in multiple formats in addition to the usual cable and satellite option. The statement also cites an additional platform in what they’re calling “ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer service.” While YouTube TV still owns the rights to air NFL Sunday Ticket and ABC/ESPN/Disney/NFL Network, FOX, CBS/Paramount/Nickelodeon, NBC/Peacock, Amazon and Netflix all have individual rights to air certain games, ESPN gets “broad rights to the RedZone brand and will distribute the NFL RedZone Channel to pay TV operators for continued inclusion into their sports packages.” Though ESPN gets broad rights to the brand and TV distribution rights, the NFL will continue to own, operate and produce NFL RedZone and retain the rights to distribute it digitally. ESPN’s platforms will now license an additional three NFL games per season (all to air on NFL Network) and will adjust its overall NFL game schedule with four games shifting to NFL Network, as well. The league will continue to own and operate its retained media businesses such as NFL Films, NFL+, NFL.com, the NFL Podcast Network, the NFL FAST Channel and the official sites for all 32 teams. The two parties’ fantasy applications, NFL Fantasy Football and ESPN Fantasy Football, will merge, “creating the official Fantasy season-long game of the NFL and one best-in-class digital experience.” While much of the news is being presented by the parties involved as a shiny new present for NFL fans, there are some perceived negatives to the agreements. While Iger calls the transactions additions “to consumer choice,” in reality this is a step closer to a monopoly. At the moment, existing contracts keep the NFL readily available from several different streamers and television channels, but when those contracts expire, how willing will the NFL be to dole out games to networks other than the one it has a 10% stake in? ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio offered his usual candor in a making another relevant point about ESPN’s reporting responsibilities. When issues such as the ownership collusion case we’ve seen this summer break the NFL news circuit, how critical will ESPN be towards its minority owner? Ultimately, the transactions are still subject to the parties’ negotiation of definitive agreements, various approvals (including those of NFL team owners and federal regulators) and customary closing conditions. There’s still quite a ways to go, but Tuesday’s agreement gives a peek into what the NFL media future will look like.
Kevin Love reportedly has preferred buyout destination
Kevin Love is eyeing a return to his roots. The five-time NBA All-Star big man Love has a preferred destination on the buyout market, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported on Tuesday. Love would like to end up in Los Angeles. Now 36 years old, Love spent the last two-and-a-half seasons with the Miami Heat. He averaged just 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds over 10.9 minutes per game in 2024-25 but still managed to shoot 35.8 percent from three on the year. Earlier this summer however, the Heat traded Love to the Utah Jazz as part of a three-team blockbuster deal. Now Love, a 17-year NBA veteran, is pursuing a contract buyout from the rebuilding Jazz. Though he is a native of Lake Oswego, Oregon, Love played his college ball in Los Angeles at UCLA. He also has ties to both L.A. teams — he won an NBA championship with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and was also coached on that team by Tyronn Lue, who is now head coach of the L.A. Clippers. Both the Lakers and Clippers are currently sitting at 14 guaranteed contracts each. While they still have spots for two-way and Exhibit 10 players, that means the Lakers and Clippers are both down to their final open roster spot. The ex-rebounding leader Love still has some value, though probably more so as a jokester than as a contributing rotation piece. While Love clearly wants a homecoming to Los Angeles, he may have some convincing to do for either the Lakers or the Clippers to give him that final open roster spot.
Green Bay Packers: Strong Reactions Erupt After Unofficial Depth Chart Release
The Green Bay Packers have finally updated their 2025 depth chart, and there’s a lot to unpack about it. There are unsurprising details like Jordan Love being the No. 1 quarterback and Josh Jacobs being named as the top option in the running back room. Those are simply giveaways. At the same time, there is also compelling information from the depth chart that may or may not leave fans surprised. For one, the wide receiver pecking order has exciting rookie Matthew Golden behind Jayden Reed, who is listed as a starter alongside Dontayvion Wicks. Meanwhile, the left tackle depth chart has Rasheed Walker in front of Jordan Morgan. Of course, it is worth reiterating that this is an unofficial depth chart and that there are still big possibilities of changes on it, as the 2025 NFL season nears. Fans react to Green Bay Packers’ first unofficial 2025 depth chart Rob Demovsky of ESPN also shared the depth chart, and it’s garnered quite a reaction from fans online. “Golden should be starting, wicks and Doubs are average at best,” said a fan on X. Another one said: “Forgot we signed Hardman. Have heard absolutely nothing on him this camp” From a commenter: “Bob I just woke up from a 2 month coma why is Bo Melton under the CBs” “Why tf is Golden a backup slot wr…,” a triggered social media user posted. Via a different commenter: “Jordan Morgan still can’t crack the starting lineup. Awesome waste of a first round pick ” Said another: “Why do the packers always try so hard to phase their rookies in instead of just playing them. They did the same with cooper was last year when all the fans were begging to play him. Golden better be a starter week 1”
Former Commanders draft pick is falling apart with no sign of recovery
The Washington Commanders' new era started with a bang. This all centered around the team's decision to select quarterback Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. The collateral damage of that decision is experiencing a different trajectory. And the signs suggest that Sam Howell is falling apart with no sign of recovery. Howell became the first Washington quarterback to start every regular-season game since Kirk Cousins in 2023. There were flashes of promise, but nothing to convince general manager Adam Peters he was worthy of another shot. When they set their stall on Daniels, the former North Carolina standout was traded to the Seattle Seahawks. Former Commanders QB Sam Howell is struggling to make an impact in Minnesota After backing up Geno Smith last season, Howell was on the move again. This time, it was the Minnesota Vikings who thought they could salvage his career, albeit in another understudy role behind J.J. McCarthy. It seemed as if the No. 2 quarterback spot was Howell's to lose heading into the offseason. But after some struggles throughout training camp, that's not as clear-cut as it once appeared. NFL analyst Thor Nystrom from Fantasy Life got to see Howell up close during the Vikings' practice on Monday. His blunt message on social media left no doubt about how he perceived the signal-caller's production. And spoiler alert, it didn't make for good reading. This is an ongoing trend. Howell isn't picking things up quickly enough, and it's showing on the field. Head coach Kevin O'Connell is an accomplished quarterback developer, but even he might have his work cut out here. Howell isn't a rookie anymore. These are more than just growing pains, so it'll be interesting to see if some live-fire reps in the preseason can turn this concerning tide. That'll be the strongest measuring stick, especially considering he threw just 14 passes in 2024. The Vikings believed enough in Howell to bring him on board. They also don't have much behind him on the depth chart, which is one thing working in his favor. But unless the consistency increases and his confidence level within O'Connell's offense grows quickly, a situation could emerge where Minnesota cuts its losses. That would place Howell firmly on the brink of NFL irrelevancy. He might be there already, but if he was deemed unworthy of even being a backup, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what comes next. Howell has to dig deep and show the correct resolve. This is also the final year of his rookie deal, so the stakes couldn't be much higher heading into a pivotal preseason stretch for the gunslinger. More Commanders news and analysis
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