How Drew Lock reportedly could cause Seahawks to make shocking Sam Darnold decision

While quarterback Sam Darnold helped the Seattle Seahawks win the Super Bowl this past February, the club nevertheless passed on signing him to a contract extension during the offseason. 

Darnold has since seemingly regressed following the departures of former Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and stud running back Kenneth Walker III. For a piece published on Wednesday, NFL insiders Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN suggested that it's not a lock that Darnold will be Seattle's QB1 at this time next year. 

When Seahawks could make major Sam Darnold decision

"I'm a bit curious about Sam Darnold's situation, as he'll have one year left on his contract after this season," Graziano wrote. "He is scheduled to make $35.5M in 2027, but none of that money is guaranteed. There is a $10M roster bonus that vests on the fifth day of the league year (March 16), so the Seahawks will want to decide by then whether they want him on next year's team. But if they do, they'd also look to extend him beyond that. What's interesting to me is that this is a different setup than Darnold had last offseason, when $17.5M of his 2026 compensation became guaranteed on the fifth day after the Super Bowl. That was a no-brainer, of course, since Seattle won the Super Bowl with him five days earlier. But if this season doesn't go as well (the Seahawks are 3-3, and only Justin Herbert has thrown more interceptions than Darnold's seven), Seattle has four more weeks to make the decision on Darnold than it did a year ago."

Darnold suffered a glute injury that was called a "very unique soft-tissue" problem in Seattle's Week 1 game against the New England Patriots back on Sept. 9. Backup Drew Lock then performed admirably and helped the Seahawks earn two straight wins before Darnold returned to the starting lineup in Week 3. Since then, Seattle has lost three of four games. 

According to Pro Football Reference, Darnold began Wednesday ranked 26th in the league among qualified players with a 41.9 adjusted QBR, 27th with a 77.4 passer rating and 25th with a 60.4 percent completion percentage. Along with the seven picks, he has thus far thrown seven touchdown passes.

What Sam Darnold must do to remain atop the Seahawks' depth chart

"It's not helping that Drew Lock has been impressive for the Seahawks, both behind the scenes and in relief of Darnold," Fowler added. "Darnold has earned a lot of street cred with Seattle, but he must limit the turnovers, especially with the team's dominant defense." 

Fowler's lines are interesting, as they could lead one to think that Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald may at least consider turning to Lock if Darnold plays poorly in multiple losses ahead of Seattle's Week 11 bye. For now, Darnold will look to produce a bounce-back performance when the Seahawks host the 5-0 Kansas City Chiefs this coming Sunday night. As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Seattle as a 2.5-point home favorite for that matchup.