Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald makes it clear who will start at QB

Bob Condotta, The Seattle Times on Jun 3, 2025

Published in Football

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SEATTLE — The Seahawks have three quarterbacks on their roster, two of whom have significant starting experience (Sam Darnold, Drew Lock) and one is a rookie the team hopes can develop into a legitimate starter (Jalen Milroe).

What the Seahawks don’t have is any question about who will be the starter in 2025 — Darnold.

Coach Mike Macdonald made that as clear as possible Tuesday during an appearance on Seattle Sports 710.

Darnold threw two interceptions in the span of three plays during a red-zone drill in Monday’s Organized Team Activity workout, the first of the spring that was open to the media.

After referencing that sequence, host Mike Salk asked Macdonald if there was anything other than injury that could lead to someone other than Darnold being the starting quarterback.

“You guys are crazy,” Macdonald said. “… Look I respect you’ve got to ask it, but it’s a crazy question. It’s not going to happen. Like Sam’s our starting quarterback. We love him. He’s doing a tremendous job.”

Macdonald showing faith in Darnold should be no surprise as the expectation all along has been that he was signed to be the starter for 2025, and possibly years beyond.

Darnold signed a three-year contract worth up to $100.5 million with $55 million guaranteed in March shortly after the Seahawks traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Seahawks filled out their QB depth chart by bringing back Lock in April on a two-year contract worth $5 million with $2.25 million guaranteed, and a few weeks later drafting Milroe in the third round with the 92nd overall pick.

Milroe signed his four-year rookie contract worth up to $6.26 million with $1.195 million guaranteed. The team is hoping to develop him to be a starting-caliber player but for now are letting him get acclimated to the NFL.

That led to a clearly defined depth chart at Monday’s workout with Darnold running the starting offense, Lock the twos and Milroe the threes.

That was to be expected.

But given the microscope that tends to fall on the NFL QB position, some might still have wondered how the Seahawks are distributing snaps at practice. Especially since some have wondered if Milroe might be able to show enough to earn his way onto the field in some capacity as a rookie, given his noted running ability.

But for now, Darnold is the team’s clear starter.

As evidence, Macdonald noted that Darnold is getting more reps than the other two QBs with the hope to get him as comfortable as possible in Kubiak’s scheme heading into the regular season.

“Sam is getting the vast majority,’’ Macdonald said. “As we go closer to the season it’ll get skewed even further.’’

Macdonald said the emphasis on Darnold’s two interceptions — one thrown to safety Julian Love and the other to cornerback Josh Jobe — obscured an overall good day.

“Sam made a lot of great throws yesterday,’’ Macdonald said of Darnold, who threw 35 touchdowns against 12 interceptions last year with the Minnesota Vikings before becoming a free agent. “(He) was gashing us on third-and-goal to start the day out, too.’’

Indeed, one of his first throws was a TD to newly signed receiver Cooper Kupp, who was signed to help replace the traded DK Metcalf.

That connection helped underscore the makeover that the offense is in the midst of this offseason.

Along with a new scheme, the Seahawks do not have either Russell Wilson or Smith on the roster at QB for the first time since 2011, and is without both Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, who have been the team’s primary receiving duo since 2019.

That newness means the offense will inevitably look like a work in progress at times.

Macdonald noted that his general philosophy is that he doesn’t want players to feel as if they can’t make mistakes in practice.

“We want these guys to go prepare the right way and then when they go out on the practice field, go freaking let it rip,’’ he said. “And then go fix it. … we have time. It’s June 3. Well go. They are going to get plenty of reps. We’ll get those things fixed.’’

The Seahawks will be back on the field for OTA No. 5 of the spring on Wednesday.

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