Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has been on a bit of a heater when it comes to giving quotes about Sam Darnold throughout the NFL offseason. This time, all Macdonald could do was offer a curse word when asked to describe Darnold.
Macdonald has been outspoken throughout the offseason about how Darnold is the Seahawks new starting quarterback. Seattle is looking to turn the page on the Geno Smith era and signed Darnold after trading away the veteran quarterback.
As the Seahawks concluded the team’s minicamp practices, Macdonald had a message about Darnold’s fit inside the Seahawks locker room. To put it in more family friendly terms, Macdonald thinks Darnold has some “stuff” to him.
“The thing you love about Sam is he’s just a dude, man,” Macdonald told reporters on June 10, 2025. “He’s like one of the guys. He’s one of the guys, so he’s right there with them in all the things. That’s him, but there’s some s— to him. He’s like, don’t mess with him.
“He’s got that edge to him, that competitiveness, and the guys respect that. He’s him. He’s not trying to be anybody else, and you’ve got to respect that about him.”
Mike Macdonald When Asked About Sam Darnold Not Being the Seahawks QB: ‘You Guys Are Crazy’
This comes weeks after Macdonald’s viral quote about thinking the media was “crazy” for asking if Darnold could lose the starting job. Darnold’s status has come under scrutiny after Seattle opted to use a third-round pick on Jalen Milroe in the 2025 NFL draft.
“No, you guys are crazy,” Macdonald noted during a June 3, interview with Seattle Sports’ “Brock & Salk.” “Like, I respect you gotta ask it, but like… it’s just a crazy question. Sam’s our starting quarterback. We love him, he’s doing a tremendous job.
“I think it’s funny that the media is out there for like the first day and all of a sudden they know exactly how good we’re going to be and how good all the players are and all the tempos. We (haven’t) even put on pads yet. Like, we haven’t made one tackle.”
Mike Macdonald on Seahawks Quarterbacks: ‘You Feel Their Competitiveness’
Back in March, Seattle quickly pivoted to Darnold just days after trading Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders. Macdonald is bullish on Darnold based on his performance this offseason.
“Sam’s doing a great job,” Macdonald said of Darnold. “Sam (has) a great feel for the offense right now in terms of growing every day. You can feel the growth. You can feel the improvement, the confidence that we’re doing on that side of the ball and that we’re growing and it’s exciting to work with. He’s a heck of a competitor.
“This time of the year, it’s hard with all the competition periods. You’re trying to create a bunch of situations where there’s technically a winner or a loser, but you’re really trying to just get great situational work where you’re making great decisions,” Macdonald continued.
“… But those are fun periods when you feel his competitiveness. Really all three quarterbacks, you feel their competitiveness and just a sense of improvement every day.”
