Seahawks remain optimistic about Sam Darnold despite latest news

Two pass attempts for 13 yards. That's all Sam Darnold has been able to produce as his follow-up act to his memorable 2025 season. 

Even though Darnold went down early in the Seattle Seahawks' season-opening game, his team seems to be still holding out hope for a quick return, per a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Seattle is holding out hope that Sam Darnold can return soon 

Darnold is unable to play and is already listed as out for this coming Sunday's Week 2 NFC West division matchup in Arizona with the Cardinals, coming off a surprising upset of the Chargers. However, the Seahawks remain resistant to officially placing him on injured reserve. 

As Darnold is forced to watch Drew Lock, who led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl rematch win over the Patriots, start in his place, an injury that initially looked like it could end his season before it started may not be as devastating as first thought. 

Darnold proved his worth with a memorable championship season last year

The Seahawks also know how important having Darnold back and healthy will be later in the season as they push towards the playoff and a title defense. Because last season, Darnold, now 29, put together a magical season that culminated in the Seahawks winning the franchise's second championship in Super Bowl LX. 

In 2025, Darnold's first with Seattle, he threw for 4,048 yards with 25 touchdown passes. His storybook year followed the Minnesota Vikings declining an opportunity to award him for his success there with a new long-term contract. 

Darnold has revived his career after once being labeled a bust 

Once labeled a bust after a rocky tenure with the Jets, Darnold revived his career in 2024 with the Vikings, tossing for a career-high 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. But his struggles in the playoffs, unlike a year later in Seattle, led to the Vikings shying away from investing in the former first-round pick out of USC. 

Still young at just 29, Darnold has 20,444 passing yards with a completion percentage of 62.3% and 123 touchdowns in 101 games across nine seasons.