Seattle Seahawks Schedule Release: Sam Darnold's Revenge Game vs. Minnesota Vikings

Sam Darnold had a career rebirth in Minnesota last season. The former USC Trojans quarterback set career-highs in passing yards (4,319), passing touchdowns (35), completions (361), completion percentage (66.2), passer rating (102.5) and earned his first Pro Bowl nod en route to leading the Vikings to 14 wins, the second most in franchise history.

However, a season with so much promise ended in disappointing fashion. It started in week 18 when Minnesota squared off with the Detroit Lions for the NFC North title, a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs. Darnold struggled mightily, playing his worse game of the season in the brightest spot. The Vikings lost and ended up as a wild card team.

The following week it was more of the same. Darnold struggled against the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota's Super Bowl hopes ended the opening weekend of the playoffs.

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Vikings faced a tough decision this offseason -- resign or franchise tag the 27-year-old quarterback coming off the best season of his career or move on with 2024 first-round pick JJ McCarthy, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason and missed all of his rookie year. Minnesota chose the latter and Darnold hit the open market.

The Seattle Seahawks traded quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, reuniting him with coach Pete Carroll. Three days later, Darnold signed a three-year deal worth up to $100.5 million, with $55 million guaranteed.

Darnold will have the opportunity to face his old squad when the Vikings travel to the Pacific Northwest in week 13. By the time the game rolls around Thanksgiving weekend, Seattle will have a fair assessment of how Darnold fairs without offensive genius Kevin O'Connell and star receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. And for Minnesota, they will have an idea if they made the right decision to move forward with McCarthy.

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The full 272-game regular season was released on Wednesday night and Seattle will have four prime-time games in 2025. The first comes in week 4, where Darnold returns to the desert for the first time since his nightmare performance in the wild card to face the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football. Seattle will host the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football in week 7.

After a bye in week 8, the Seahawks make the cross-country trip to face the Washington Commanders in a critical NFC matchup on Sunday Night Football. And then finally, Seattle will host their division rival Rams in week 16 on Thursday Night Football.

In addition, to playing Minnesota, Darnold will have the opportunity to play two of his former teams. The first comes at home the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers in the first of two matchups against their divisional rival. The second matchup will be in week 18. Darnold spent the 2023 season as the backup to Brock Purdy in San Francisco, which evidently was a critical year in the former No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft resurrecting his career.

Before traveling to The Bay in regular season finale, Seattle will be on the road against the Carolina Panthers in week 17, where Darnold played two seasons in 2021-22 after being traded by the New York Jets.

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