SEATTLE — If there was any lingering notion {that a} wholesome Sam Darnold might get beat out for the Seattle Seahawks’ beginning quarterback job, coach Mike Macdonald put it to relaxation in decisive trend on Tuesday.
Throughout an interview with Seattle Sports activities 710-AM, Macdonald was requested whether or not something apart from an damage between now and the beginning of the season could lead on the Seahawks to go along with one other quarterback.
“No, you guys are loopy,” Macdonald mentioned. “I respect that you have to ask it, but it surely’s only a loopy query. It is simply not going to occur. Sam’s our beginning quarterback. We love him. He is doing an amazing job.”
The query got here a day after Darnold delivered an up-and-down efficiency within the Seahawks’ fourth Organized Group Exercise, the primary of which that was open to reporters. Darnold’s lowlights whereas main the No. 1 offense included two interceptions in a span of three performs throughout a seven-on-seven interval within the purple zone, in addition to a number of performs that died with the quarterback holding onto the ball.
Darnold bounced again nicely from these interceptions, and whereas Macdonald did not deny that he made some errors, he additionally famous that the quarterback received the higher of the protection close to the aim line throughout an precedent days.
Macdonald emphasised that it is nonetheless early within the offseason program, and that some errors are anticipated to occur this time of the yr.
“God forbid you are the worst payer of all time since you made one dangerous throw or one dangerous resolution,” he mentioned. “That isn’t what we’re attempting to construct. We would like these guys to go put together the proper method after which after they exit on the follow area, go freaking let it rip after which we’ll go repair it … We have got time. It is June 3 … They are going to get loads of reps. We’ll get these issues mounted.”
Darnold, 27, is coming off a Professional Bowl season with the Minnesota Vikings, who opted to not re-sign him in March as they as a substitute flip to final yr’s tenth total choose, J.J. McCarthy. Darnold led Minnesota to a 14-3 regular-season report after going 21 and 35 as a starter over his first six years within the NFL.
The Seahawks signed Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract after buying and selling Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders. Seattle then drafted Jalen Milroe within the third spherical and traded Sam Howell to the Vikings, leaving the Seahawks with a three-man quarterback room that additionally contains veteran backup Drew Lock.
Macdonald has mentioned that the plan for Milroe is to play a number of performs a sport in specialty packages, and that Darnold will nonetheless see nicely over 90% of the snaps.
The Seahawks’ present quarterback state of affairs has been likened to the one from which Russell Wilson emerged because the starter as a rookie third-round choose in 2012. That yr, Wilson gained the job regardless of Seattle signing Matt Flynn in free company to be the group’s presumed starter. One important distinction, nevertheless, is that Flynn’s per-year common of $6.5 million can be lower than half of Darnold’s $33.5 million common when adjusted for this season’s wage cap.
