Sam Darnold led summer sessions with at least 7 Seattle Seahawks receivers

Darnold has to put in extra work to grow chemistry with his new teammates.

Jun 11, 2025; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) passes the ball to quarterback Drew Lock (2) during mini-camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Technically speaking, the Seattle Seahawks were on break from the end of OTAs up until this week when they held their first training camp practice of the year. That doesn't mean that they were just sitting on their hands and soaking up the sun, though. In a league that's this competitive players have to train year-round in order to keep up with the competition.

Nobody knows better how hard it is to separate yourself from that competition than new starting quarterback Sam Darnold. After floundering his first few years in the NFL, Darnold finally put it all together last season with the Minnesota Vikings - but that breakout season didn't come out of nowhwhere.

Truth is, Darnold started showing genuine signs of improvement as early as his 2021-2022 stint with the Carolina Panthers - and that process continued when he was backing up Brock Purdy with the 49ers in 2023. That slow but steady growth came because Darnold is willing to put in extra work, and he's brought that attitude with him to Seattle.

According to Mike Dugar at The Athletic, Darnold held summer throwing sessions with several Seahawks pass-catchers in southern California.

Sam Darnold leads Seahawks workouts

"Earlier this month, Darnold invited his skill players to train with him in California. Several players attended, including Cooper Kupp, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jake Bobo, John Rhys Plumlee, Eric Saubert, AJ Barner and White. They hung out for a few days and had throwing sessions at Oaks Christian."

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold attends the TGL match between Jupiter Links GC and Atlanta Drive GC at SoFi Center on March 4, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. | GREG LOVETT/PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A couple names not mentioned here include veteran Marquez Valdez-Scantling and rookies Tory Horton Jr. and Elijah Arroyo, all of whom might end up having big roles in Seattle's passing game.

That's yet to be determined, though. For now about all we know about this new Seahawks offense is that Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be the No. 1 wide receiver, Cooper Kupp will be the No. 2 guy. and Valdez-Scantling will serve as the third option. The rest of the pecking order will have to be sorted out over the next few weeks and during the preseason.

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