Seahawks season comes down to Sam Darnold

The Seattle Seahawks offseason has been defined by the signing of quarterback Sam Darnold from the Minnesota Vikings.

Darnold, 28, guided the Vikings to a playoff berth last season after winning 14 games, but fell short in the division thanks to the elite Detroit Lions edging them out in the final week of the season for win No. 15.

Now, Darnold has a chance to blaze a new trail with the Seahawks as he looks to bring another team back to the playoffs.

Sports Illustrated writer Matt Verdarame named Darnold as the X-factor for the Seahawks this season.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold in action against the San Francisco 49ers. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

"Through the first six seasons of his career, Darnold averaged a touchdown pass on 3.5% of attempts and an interception on 3.1%. He threw for 6.7 yards per attempt and completed 59.7% of his throws. Then, with the Vikings in 2024, those figures moved to 6.4% and 2.2%, respectively, with 7.9 YPA and a 66.2% completion rate," Verdarame wrote.

"If Darnold continues his renaissance, the Seahawks could surprise as a division winner. If he regresses to what he was for the Jets and Panthers, Seattle will struggle to post a winning campaign."

The biggest change on the Seahawks roster has been the switch from Geno Smith to Darnold, so that should make things different for the team moving forward.

The Seahawks hope Darnold will be able to give them the spark that Smith was unable to provide and get the team back towards winning in the playoffs.

Darnold and the Seahawks will report to training camp on July 23.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold throws a pass for a touchdown against the Houston Texans. | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

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