Seahawks Soar in Coach-QB Duo Rankings Thanks to Mike Macdonald

Entering the 2025 season, there were plenty of questions surrounding the Seattle Seahawks. Mike Macdonald had done a good job overall, leading them to a 10-7 record.

Seattle missed out on the playoffs though, and then made some tough decisions in the offseason. The most impactful was trading away starting quarterback Geno Smith and handing the keys to free agent addition Sam Darnold.

There was plenty of criticism following this move, but Seattle won the Super Bowl, which silenced the doubters. Now going into their second year together, the duo of Macdonald and Darnold is among the best in the NFL.

Macdonald, Darnold crack top 10 Coach-QB duo

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald looks on after defeating the Los Angeles Rams in the 2026 NFC Championship Game. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

In fact, SI.com’s Matt Verderame has them climbing high in his latest Coach-QB Duo rankings. After putting the two at 21st last season, Darnold and Macdonald are sitting in the seventh spot overall. While Verderame says Darnold is clearly good enough, he still has him ranked 17th at the position, meaning Macdonald, who he ranked at No. 4 among coaches, is doing the heavy lifting.

“Despite having Geno Smith and Darnold during his two seasons with the Seahawks, Seattle won 10 games and then the Super Bowl, primarily due to a suffocating defense. After finishing 11th in EPA per play (-0.06) in 2024, the unit improved to second (-0.17) last year, allowing the league’s fewest points per game (17.2),” Verderame wrote.

“Meanwhile, Darnold was solid in the regular season with 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns before excelling in the playoffs, throwing for five touchdowns and zero interceptions, headlined by a 346-yard performance in a 31–27 win over the Rams in the NFC title game. Darnold will never be a top-tier quarterback, but he’s more than enough.”

Sam Darnold still isn’t getting his due

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LX. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

While Verderame was far from critical of Darnold, it’s still interesting to see how slow the narrative is to move when it comes to him.

Oftentimes, quarterbacks are judged solely on winning, to the point that flaws are explained away. Someone such as Jalen Hurts is a perfect example. Other quarterbacks, such as Dak Prescott, put up elite numbers but suffer in rankings due to a failure to win in the postseason.

Then there’s Darnold, who is 28-6 with two different teams over the past two seasons. He even has a Super Bowl ring now, but is still viewed as a serviceable starter rather than a legit winner. Of course, the Seahawks are fine with that, since it means he can continue sneaking up on teams.

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