It's not "crazy" to ask if Sam Darnold can hold off Jalen Milroe, Drew Lock

Sometimes, football coaches tell the truth. More often than not, they say what they think they need to say.

That’s what Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald did when he was asked whether anything other than injury could keep Seattle from starting the season with Sam Darnold at quarterback.

“I respect that you’ve got to ask it, but it’s just a crazy question,” Macdonald said. “It’s just not gonna happen. Sam’s our starting quarterback. We love him. He’s doing a tremendous job.”

It’s not a crazy question. (More on that in a minute.) But Macdonald had to call it a crazy question because he doesn’t want or need Darnold or anyone else in the locker room to doubt that Darnold is the guy for 2025. By giving the possibility credence, Macdonald potentially opens the door to the team’s $37.5 million investment for 2025 being wasted.

The truth is that, if Drew Lock or rookie Jalen Milroe significantly outperform Darnold in training camp, the best player will play. That’s precisely what happened 13 years ago, when free-agent acquisition Matt Flynn was outplayed by a third-round draft pick (Russell Wilson), and the rookie won the job.

John Schneider was the General Manager then, and Schneider is the G.M. now.

The Seahawks need to sell the idea that they made the right decision to pivot from Geno Smith to Darnold when Smith wanted more money than the Seahawks were willing to pay. Why put so many eggs in the basket of a guy who can’t beat out a journeyman and a rookie taken with the 92nd overall pick?

While they want (and need) Darnold to become the guy, they won’t ignore reality if/when it becomes evident that Lock or Milroe will put the Seahawks in better position to win games. Former head coach Pete Carroll didn’t slide onto a thin limb when he went with Wilson over Flynn; everyone knew Wilson was better.

If Lock or Milroe thrive and Darnold struggles under the weight of pressure and expectation, the same thing could happen. And it’s ludicrous to dismiss anyone who would entertain the possibility as “crazy.”

But we get it. Macdonald is saying what he has to say. Like when he said this about Smith in February: “Heck yeah, man. Geno’s our quarterback. I don’t understand the conversation. It’s pretty obvious this guy is a heck of a quarterback. He’s our quarterback. We love him. Can’t wait to go to work with him. . . . This guy, he’s a great player, man. And we can win a championship with Geno Smith.”

Similarly, new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak called Smith a “huge draw” after taking the job. And then they went back to the drawing board, opting not to pay Smith and to ride with Darnold instead.

They need Darnold, who had no threat to his status as Minnesota’s starter after J.J. McCarthy was injured in August, to justify the move. They need Darnold to be the guy.

Which means that they need him to think he’s the guy.

Which also means they need him to not feel the same kind of pressure he finally felt in Week 18, when he suddenly couldn’t complete passes and/or make good decisions with the No. 1 seed in Minnesota’s grasp in Detroit.

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