Seahawks love rookie Grey Zabel going at Azeez Al-Shaair for hit on Sam Darnold
Grey Zabel’s stock is rising almost by the play.
That’s with opposing defensive linemen and linebackers who are trying and failing to beat him pass rushing or run stopping. It’s with coaches around the league watching his game tape and having to game plan for his effectiveness and, at times, dominance.
Yet Zabel’s street cred is highest with quarterback Sam Darnold, coach Mike Macdonald and his Seahawks teammates.
One play from Seattle’s home win over Houston Monday night showed why.
The Seahawks’ offense faced a third and 11 at the Texans 25. Darnold tried to pass. But, as has often happened on Seattle’s third downs the last two games (3 for 26 on conversions, 11%), could not find anyone open to throw to. Then Houston’s Sheldon Rankins broke into the backfield free at the quarterback from the offense’s right side.
Darnold took off running away from Rankins around the left end. Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair ran to Darnold. They met at the Texans’ sideline, well short of the line to gain.
Al-Shaair lowered his shoulder into Darnold’s chest plate. With the quarterback two steps out of bounds, Al-Shaair continued driving Darnold back, then slammed him, back-first, onto the turf. Two officials at the scene immediately threw their penalty flags to cite Al-Shaair for unnecessary roughness.
Nearby Seahawks Jalen Sundell and AJ Barner went to check on Darnold, who was on his back staring up at them.
Zabel was 7 yards away when Al-Shaair hit Darnold. The rookie left guard and first-round draft choice ran not to his quarterback. He ran straight at Al-Shaair.
The 23-year-old who was in college at North Dakota State this time last year pushed and got into the face of the 28-year-old Al-Shaair, a seven-year NFL veteran, amid all the Texans on their sideline.
A Houston assistant coach separted Zabel and Al-Shaair. Zabel got into the face of the assistant coach, too.
Then officials and other players and coaches broke it all up.
From across the sideline, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald loved it.
Not the hit on his quarterback, of course. Zabel’s reaction to it.
The 37-year-old head coach who is all about brotherhood and leadership was still loving it Tuesday, about 14 hours after Seattle finished off a 27-19 victory to move to 5-2 entering this bye week.
“That’s awesome. That’s everything we want to be right there, in that play,” Macdonald said.
“Smart not getting a penalty. Having your teammate’s back. Tough.
“Awesome.”
It was the latest in a debut season’s worth of plays and conduct Zabel has had that makes Macdonald say the biggest compliment he can give the rookie is he doesn’t play or act like one.
Macdonald did not show Zabel supporting Darnold on the Texans’ sideline to the team Tuesday in the day-after film session. That’s only because the head coach gave the players the day off so they could begin their bye week from around 11 p.m. Monday after the game ended until next Monday.
The coach is probably going to show it next week. That’s when the Seahawks will return from their only week off the rest of the season to prepare to play at the Washington Commanders (3-4) Nov. 2. in a Sunday night NBC-television marquee game.
Instead of fourth down and a field-goal attempt by Jason Myers that could have increased Seattle’s early lead on Houston to 10-0 Monday night, the Seahawks got a first down from Al-Shaair’s hit on Darnold and penalty. On the next play, Darnold threw a tough, 11-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba to up the lead to 14-0 instead.
Sam Darnold, Azeez Al-Shaair comment
After the game, when The News Tribune asked him about the play, Darnold acknowledged he was inbounds when Al-Shaair first hit him on the scramble.
“That was an interesting one,” Darnold said.
“I was out of bounds when that happened. It was weird because I was inbounds when he first hit me.
“I don’t know. That’s just kind of what happened. We got the penalty and first down. That’s all that matters.”
Asked if he was hurt as he laid on his back on the Texans’ sideline following Al-Shaair’s hit, Darnold said: “No. It was good. Got me into the game a little bit.”
The QB smiled.
Al-Shaair told Houston reporters in the visiting locker room following the game he and Darnold “chopped it up” after the play, and were “cool” about it.
“I pushed off of the receiver to run into the tackle. He lowers his shoulder. We both just kinda hit each other. I’m driving him. He’s trying to drive his legs,” Al-Shaair said Monday night, according to Houston’s KPRC television. “Still no whistle, but my head is like in his chest, so I don’t know really where I’m at on the field. There’s still no whistle. It never blew the whistle until after I dropped him on the ground. And then they were like, ‘That’s a flag because you hit him on the ground. Like, ‘Well, you didn’t blow the whistle and he’s a runner.’
“I played against Sam multiple times. We have a pretty good football relationship, just conversation. Even after it happened, it’s like, ‘Bro.’ I was like, ‘Wow, I know you’re just playing football.’ Like, it was weird and we both just kinda just chopped it up, talked about it and kinda moved on.”
Al-Shaair said he was playing until he heard a whistle from the officials.
“You’re talking to the refs about it. They’re like, ‘Yeah, I know there wasn’t a whistle blown, but you gotta see where you are on the field,’” Al-Shaair said. “I’m like, ‘Well if I’m out of bounds, blow the whistle.’ That’s the whole point of the play.
“It’s just this league,” he said. “Obviously, quarterbacks get paid a lot of money. He’s made a lot of plays to get himself in position to make a lot of money. It’s insane. I mean, he dropped his shoulder. I hit him. Like, when me and him talked about it, it was cool.
“Obviously, it’s just football. He understands it. I understand that. But you know, when they’re paying him $50 million dollars or whatever he’s getting, that’s just how it’s gonna be.”
Al-Shaair is assuredly going to get fined by the NFL for his hit on Darnold and the penalty. Most unnecessary-roughness penalties turn into league fines at the end of the week, upon NFL executives reviewing the conduct.
The Texans’ linebacker could get suspended, based upon precedent.
Late last season the league suspended Al-Shaair for three games for his hit on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in his head while Lawrence was sliding feet-first at the end of a scramble in a game in December 2024. The NFL has fined Al-Shaair nine times in the last five years. The most recent fine was $17,389 from Week 4 for a hit on Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward officials did not penalize.
Each week Macdonald and his staff, like those from all teams, submit plays from the most recent game to the league official for explanation and review.
Will Macdonald send in Al-Shaair’s hit on Darnold to ask why they was no ejection or harsher penalty?
The head coach paused.
“Ummmm, probably just leave the plays that we are going to turn in with us,” Macdonald said. “But glad they called the penalty.”
He’s happier Zabel is all that, and more, seven games into his NFL career.
This story was originally published October 21, 2025 at 2:02 PM.
