How Sam Darnold is adjusting to his new home(s) --in Seattle, in this new Seahawks offense
Mike Macdonald was ticked.
His Seahawks were too intense in this fifth, no-pads, no-contact practice of organized team activities (OTAs). The NFL’s youngest head coach stopped the scrimmage. He scolded both the offense and defense to stay in learning mode, rather than intensely competing.
The time for competing will come, beginning late next month when training camp begins.
That doesn’t mean Sam Darnold isn’t competing, in his own mind.
Seattle’s new franchise quarterback is in his second week of leading the team on the field. In 11-on-11 scrimmages over two OTA practices open to the media this week, he’s thrown four interceptions. The third pick was minutes after Macdonald yelled at his Seahawks. It was a deep heave into double coverage, off a deep post route by wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Darnold then underthrew Valdes-Scantling on a deep go route down the right sideline. That allowed cornerback Josh Jobe, off to a strong start this offseason when Devon Witherspoon plays inside at nickel defensive back, to race back to the ball and break up the 45-yard throw.
Darnold’s fourth interception in two days came in a seven-on-seven drill without linemen. He threw late and behind Cody White, who was on an intermediate crossing route over the middle of the field. Safety D’Anthony Bell tipped the errant throw to Ty Okada for the interception.
As backup Drew Lock took the second-team offense into the huddle for the next plays, Darnold stood shaking his head. He kicked at the grass.
But later, Darnold looked sharp. He fired a dart onto the hands of Valdes-Scantling, just past cornerback Riq Woolen inside the goal line. That was for a touchdown in a red-zone scrimmage.
They were more examples of what Macdonald has said this week he wants from Darnold and his starters: them pushing to learn, while not being afraid to make mistakes.
It is, after all, the first week of June. The games don’t begin counting for another three-plus months.
Four times in five minutes following practice Wednesday Darnold described his initial practice days in Seattle as “amazing.”
Yet the QB who went 14-3 and threw for 4,300 yards for the Minnesota Vikings last season also didn’t sound content with making mistakes. His interceptions were the only ones thrown by a quarterback in Seattle’s scrimmaging Wednesday.
“At the end of the day, you know, I want to go out there and play clean football. But also I want to go through through progressions and be aggressive,” the Seahawks’ replacement for traded Geno Smith said. “And, you know, especially kind of in those in those seven-on-seven periods...there’s no threat of run. So, you know, those linebackers are getting some depth, and so trying to maybe push some stuff down the field that maybe I shouldn’t.
“I’ve got to learn from some mistakes there, and maybe just check it down.
“But it’s fun to be able to push the ball down the field.”
Such is the state of transition in an almost all-new Seahawks offense this spring.
New Seahawks offense
Darnold, backup quarterback Drew Lock and rookie third-round draft choice Jalen Milroe are all new since Seattle last played a game. That was in January, to end the Seahawks’ 2024 season with them missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
The receivers the QBs are throwing to are new in Seattle, too. Yakima native Cooper Kupp, college star at Eastern Washington, has come home after his Los Angeles Rams released their Super Bowl MVP from three years ago. Valdes-Scantling is on his fourth team in two years.
They are replacing DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. The Seahawks traded Metcalf to Pittsburgh in March, days after they traded Smith to Pete Carroll’s Las Vegas Raiders. Those trades came the same week Macdonald and Seattle general manager John Schneider released 10-year veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett.
New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is in from New Orleans. He’s installing a new, outside-zone blocking and passing system. The former Saints and Vikings play caller and 49ers passing game coordinator brought with him from New Orleans veteran NFL assistant John Benton to coach Seattle’s offensive line. That’s been the team’s biggest problem spot for years.
Benton is working alongside new senior offensive assistant Rick Dennison, a line coach and offensive coordinator from Mike Shanahan’s Super Bowl-champion Denver Broncos of the 1990s.
Last season, Macdonald saw his offense couldn’t run the ball and had Smith committing too many turnovers, especially in the red zone. He decided to remodel that side of the ball for 2025.
That remodel is still in its foundational stage. Kubiak is installing only the base concepts of his new system this month.
The News Tribune asked Kubiak after practice Wednesday how similar this new Seahawks system is to the one he and Darnold ran as 49ers assistant and backup quarterback respectively under head coach Kyle Shanahan with San Francisco two years ago.
“It’s a good starting point,” Kubiak said. “We’re putting our own system together — not giving away any trade secrets.
“But right now, just putting in some base offense and having those guys go out and execute every day.”
Darnold’s, Lock’s and Milroe’s position coach is new, too. Andrew Janocko has been quarterbacks coach/part-time wide receiver/part-time pass rusher drilling his QBs. Janocko, at 37 the same age as Macdonald, arrived from the Saints with Kubiak.
Kubiak said he’s been impressed by what Seattle’s all-new quarterbacks are doing so far.
“I’ve seen three guys that can play,” the OC said.
“I see three athletic guys, working their tail off, getting coached by Janocko, who’s putting in overtime hours, getting in late-night videos.
“Just really impressed by the way he coaches. Those guys are lucky to have him.”
Jalen Milroe on the field at 4:30 a.m.
Speaking of overtime hours, Kubiak said Milroe, the former Alabama quarterback, has been on the practice field at 4:30 a.m. going through plays.
“Nobody asked him to do that,” Kubiak said, “but he’s out there putting in extra time.
“I’ve seen him grow a lot from rookie minicamp (last month) to now, so I’ve been impressed with the kid.”
Seattle’s offensive line
Benton spent the first parts of practice Wednesday drilling his linemen on the five-man blocking sled.
He had as his first guys Charles Cross at left tackle, rookie first-round pick Grey Zabel at left guard, Jalen Sundell at center, Christian Haynes at right guard and Abe Lucas at right tackle.
When 11-on-11 scrimmaging began, 2024 starter Olu Oluwatimi was the first center, as he was in the previous practice Monday. Then Oluwatimi and Sundell, an undrafted rookie last year who primarily played tackle at North Dakota State, alternated on the first team.
Haynes, the team’s third-round pick in 2024, alternated some with Anthony Bradford as the first-team right guard. That competition will continue well into training camp and August.
“It’s wide open, brotha,” Kubiak said.
Haynes again also got some time at center with the second-team offense. He’d never played the position until now-former Seahawks line coach Scott Huff had Haynes practicing at center late last season.
Sam Darnold settling into Seattle
Lucas is entering his fourth NFL season, his contract year. The Seahawks drafted him in the third round in 2022 out of Washington State.
The right tackle was asked for his initial impression of Darnold.
“Well,” Lucas said, typically deadpan, “my first impression of him was in 2017 when he was at USC and we beat them, in Pullman.”
Darnold has been treated better in his return to Washington this time. For one thing, he’s got a three-year, $100.5 million Seahawks contract.
He and his girlfiend Katie Hoofnagle recently bought a home in the Seattle area. So he hasn’t had much time to explore the Cascades to hike, as they like to do, or get much around Puget Sound or the Pacific Northwest yet.
“To be honest, I’m moving a ton of furniture in, so that’s been great. But, you know, other than that, not much,” Darnold said. “Playing some golf here and there.”
He’s a 10 handicap. His recent best round was a 78, on his home course in his hometown of San Clemente, California.
For now, his focus is on getting settled in his new home — and his new offense.
Both remain works in progress.
“All of OTAs has been amazing. Phase three, getting to practice with the guys, has been great,” Darnold said.
“So, yeah, it’s just been amazing.
“To be able to come in here, compete, continue to learn the offense with the guys — to be able to hang with the guys off the field, too — it’s been great.”
This story was originally published June 4, 2025 at 5:03 PM.
