Seahawks great Matt Hasselbeck says NFL teams 'force it' finding franchise QB

Sam Darnold is set to make his debut as the Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback this weekend. He has big shoes to fill after Geno Smith was sent to the Las Vegas Raiders. Of course, Smith previously found himself in a similar situation since he was replacing Russell Wilson in 2022.

If Darnold works out for Seattle, that will be a huge plus for them, even though it’s very uncommon. It’s not typical for teams to move from one legit starter to another, let alone to find success three times straight with no misses. In today’s NFL, it’s far more common for franchises to strike out at least once before hitting a home run.

That was the subject of a recent piece on The Athletic by Zak Keefer, who explored why teams struggle to get it right, and why they “break” young quarterbacks. Keefer spoke to several successful signal-callers, including former Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck, who says it’s easy to see why these players fail.

Seahawks great believes teams are trying too hard

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck throws a pass against the San Francisco 49ers. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

“Teams force it, simple as that,” says Matt Hasselbeck, via Keefer.

“I promise you, some of these owners are just like, ‘Man, we need a quarterback who can sell some jerseys.’ They just want someone who’ll make them relevant.”

Hall of Famer Peyton Manning echoed that sentiment, saying teams bring in quarterbacks but don’t have a real plan.

“I hate it,” Manning says. “Teams draft these guys without a plan. They all say they have one, then the kid ends up playing for three coordinators his first two seasons … It’s like a young couple thinking about bringing a baby into the world. If you’re not sure you’re ready, just don’t do it.”

The good news for Seattle is that they seem to have a plan. Darnold is their guy right now, but they’re also grooming rookie Jalen Milroe to take over down the road.

Time will tell if Milroe is the answer, but at least he’s not going to be broken by a team with no strategy.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Seahawks great believes teams are trying too hard

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