Sam Darnold earns major praise from the Seahawks teammate who matters most

In those three victories, Darnold had completed 68 percent of his throws and had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of better than two-to-one. Best of all, in the three wins, his offense had averaged 41 points per game.

What happened? Why was Darnold viewed as a major bust a few years later – a tag he is still trying to overcome, even after his first Pro Bowl season last year?

Seahawks' Cooper Kupp likes what he sees in Sam Darnold

One of the things that happened was Adam Gase. The coach who assumed leadership of the Dolphins after Darnold’s rookie season torpedoed his own quarterback. By his third season, Gase had already moved on – figuratively if not literally – from the number three overall pick in the 2018 draft.

If you’re the type who keeps score, please note that whereas Darnold has taken some solid steps to resurrect his NFL career, the 47-year-old Gase has not had a job coaching at any level since being fired by the Jets after the 2020 season.

Darnold began to show signs of life when he finally teamed up with a top-tier offensive coach. In 2023, he got to play for Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. Despite only seeing significant playing time in the last couple of weeks of the season, the QB began to look a little more comfortable than he had in either New York or Carolina.

It earned him a one-year, $10 million deal with Minnesota. Theoretically, he would be a placeholder until rookie J.J. McCarthy was ready to start.

As I’m sure you know, McCarthy got hurt in preseason and Darnold started the entire year, recording far and away his best season as a pro. Still, he faltered toward the end, and critics were left wondering if he was as productive as he appeared. They argued his success was a product of the talent that surrounded him with the Vikings.

Those questions have persisted in his early days with the Seahawks. First, Seattle chose the talented-but-raw QB Jalen Milroe in the draft. Then, there were reports that Darnold made a couple of bad throws in OTAs. That was enough to start the rumor mill spinning. Was Milroe in line to seize the starting job?

Head coach Mike Macdonald laughed at that notion. But the chatter continued. Coaches often spin those types of potential controversies. But now veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp has added his voice to the conversation. He is giving Darnold unqualified support.

In talking about Darnold’s early offseason performance, Kupp noted, “You see there’s an understanding – he knows what it takes to make this offense go.” He further pointed out that Darnold has some experience in the new offense, having worked with OC Klint Kubiak back in 2023 in San Fran. "We're going to get there," Kupp assures, "...because of the urgency of guys like Sam."

Darnold is already making corrections when players are not lining up properly in practice. That is something that no one expects a rookie like Milroe to be able to do.

When he was with the Jets early on, Darnold impressed the likes of veteran teammates like All-Pro center Ryan Kalil and All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell. Bell in particular praised Darnold’s understated leadership. “The way he does it – you just want to follow him.”

Both players essentially said that Gase’s offense was so complex that it overwhelmed the young QB and caused him to regress from those earliest days in the pros.

Darnold has always impressed his teammates with his preparation, and as he has matured, with his leadership. And he always had the physical gifts necessary to be a quality NFL starter. He showed that last year with the Vikings. He still takes more sacks than you would like and throws a few too many interceptions.

But if he makes big plays, none of that matters. Some of the league’s greatest quarterbacks threw picks and took sacks. But when the game was on the line, they made plays to win.

Cooper Kupp is suggesting that is what Darnold can do in Seattle. Kupp has watched firsthand as both Jared Goff and Matt Stafford took the Rams to the Super Bowl. He knows good quarterback play when he sees it.

The naysayers will continue to question just how good Sam Darnold is. They will argue that the veteran Kupp is simply doing his best to prop up the presumed starting quarterback for his team. Given Kupp’s age, if he is to have any success in Seattle, it will almost have to be with Darnold at QB.

Milroe, even under the rosiest of projections, will need a few years to blossom. There’s a good chance Kupp will be gone by that point.

So perhaps it is in his own self-interest to boost Darnold at this point. On the other hand, he didn’t have to say anything. If he thought there was a genuine quarterback controversy brewing, Kupp probably would have kept his mouth shut until the dust settled.

It’s very, very early in the process. But if Sam Darnold is impressing a key veteran contributor like Cooper Kupp with his demeanor and command of the new offense, that is reason for optimism in Seattle.