Seahawks insider lays out conditions for Jalen Milroe to start over Sam Darnold

While they can't compete with the Green Bay Packers' historic run at quarterback, the Seattle Seahawks have had a pretty solid thing going at the game's most important position for almost 25 years now. Matt Hasselbeck became their full-time starter back in 2001 - and with the lone exception of the 2011 season with Tarvaris Jackson the Seahawks have had an established QB1 every single year since then - and most of the time they've performed at an above-average level.

It was definitely a gamble swapping out Geno Smith after three straight winning seasons, but if Sam Darnold can pick up anywhere near where he left off in Minnesota last year then that streak of strong quarterback play is going to continue in Seattle.

That's far from guaranteed, though - which is why the Seahawks brought back Drew Lock to be their top backup. They also drafted a quarterback before the seventh round for the first time since taking Russell Wilson in the third back in 2012.

Jalen Milroe represents a unique thing for this franchise - a legitimate developmental quarterback. His traits include stellar arm power, unmatched rushing ability and no small amount of gamesmanship. However, Milroe has a lot of work to do over the summer if he's going to look anything like a pro when we see him take the field in the preseason - and a lot more work after that if he's going to start anytime soon in a real game.

While it's an unlikely scenario, there is a chance that could happen in 2025. Here's how Seahawks insider Mike Dugar at The Athletic answered a fanmail question about what would need to happen for us to see Milroe starting over Darnold in 2025.

"It’s reasonable to expect Milroe to show flashes in the preseason, then spend most, if not all, of his rookie year on the bench behind Darnold. Anything more would be overestimating Milroe’s readiness and/or underestimating Darnold’s ability to look competent in Kubiak’s offense. That said, if Milroe and Darnold produce at comparable levels this summer, or if Milroe is only slightly less productive, then it makes sense to roll with the rookie."

NFL — 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. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It's not unthinkable that Milroe could end up starting Week 1 instead of Darnold - they've done it before, as when Wilson supplanted Matt Flynn as Seattle's starter when he was only a rookie.

However, that was then and this is now - and Milroe's game is far more raw than Wilson's was coming into the league. There's also the fact that the Seahawks gave Darnold a significant $100 million contract just a couple of months ago - which makes it far less likely anyone else will start no matter how they perform during training camp.

The truth is that not only will Milroe need to grow a ton over the summer to be considered a starter, but Darnold is either going to have to completely bomb or suffer a major injury for Milroe to take his place on the depth chart this year. It's also no guarantee that Milroe would be the next guy up - as Drew Lock comes with a lot more experience at this level.

Bottom line, Seahawks fans who can't wait to see Milroe in a live game are going to have to be patient.

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