Seahawks Have New Annoying Narrative Involving Brian Fleury and Sam Darnold

The Seattle Seahawks are already underway, preparing for the upcoming 2026 NFL Season. The veterans have joined the rookies on the field for training camp and they do so as the defending Super Bowl champions. If you listened to only the talk of the offseason from national media, you would have to take more than a minute to determine that the Seahawks actually won the Super Bowl.

As the season gets closer, the Seahawks are under the radar for Super Bowl contenders coming from the NFC. All the hype is around the Los Angeles Rams and their offseason additions. The Seahawks are not the favorites going into the season as they have a new narrative to shed involving quarterback Sam Darnold and new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury.

Darnold and Fleury under a negative spotlight

Sam Darnold after winning Super Bowl LX. — Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) celebrates on the podium after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite not turning the ball over in the postseason, playing efficiently and leading the Seahawks to a dominant Super Bowl LX win, Darnold is once again being slammed. The national goal posts got moved for him as the season got closer. Darnold won a Super Bowl under offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, but he couldn’t do it under the new coordinator in Brian Fleury, right?

Darnold threw for 8,367 yards, 60 touchdowns and 66.9% of his passes while winning 28 of the 34 games for the Seahawks and the Minnesota Vikings in 2024. He accomplished this under two different offensive schemes and coaching staffs. He destroyed the narrative that he could be a franchise quarterback and he couldn’t win a playoff game, but the goalposts had to be moved.

Now Darnold must show he can be the quarterback in the past two seasons under Fleury, who has never called plays before. It isn’t enough for him to break narratives; he must always be under the negative spotlight. By association, Fleury is under the spotlight as a first-time offensive coordinator.

The hypocrisy of the national media is disturbing not slamming the Rams, who lost Mike LaFleur and went to Nathan Scheelhaase, whose only job was at Iowa State in 2023, which ranked 72nd in the nation in points per game.

2026 could start similarly to 2025

Brian Fleury during the Seahawks' 2026 minicamp. — Jun 9, 2026; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury during minicamp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Seahawks are going to run a similar offensive system to the one they had last year with Kubiak. The difference, however, is that there will be more run-zone plays and more unique tight sets. This Seahawks’ offense could be more well-balanced than last year’s team.

There might be more opportunities for the deep passing game to flourish with the league’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, returning and dynamic wide receiver Rashid Rasheed having a full offseason of work.

Seattle finished the season with the third-ranked scoring offense, but it started Week 1 with a 17-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. It took some time for the Seahawks’ offense to become explosive under Kubiak. A similar situation could happen to the Seahawks’ offense this upcoming season.

Fleury, however, has impressed head coach Mike Macdonald with how well he has taken control of the offense. Darnold could be in for another stellar season for the Seahawks. He doesn’t have to win the offseason as the Rams have done; he only needs to beat them on the field again.

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