Seahawks’ Sam Darnold gets ‘elite’ take from key defender that suggests 2025 was no fluke

Unlike in recent years, Sam Darnold will enter the new season with great expectations. After leading the Seattle Seahawks to the Vince Lombardi Trophy in a career turnaround last season, Darnold will have to prove that his resurgence was more than a one-off revival.

The pressure will be extra heavy for Darnold, especially since he will try to sustain his success without Klint Kubiak, who left as Seattle’s offensive coordinator to call the shots for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Darnold has proven that he is a true leader, and the Seahawks will go as far as he will take them. According to the Tacoma News Tribune’s Gregg Bell, Darnold’s teammates continue to place their full trust in him.

“One of the #Seahawks ‘managers of violence,’ veteran defensive tackle Jarran Reed, says Sam Darnold ‘is at the top of his game’ right now,” wrote Bell on X.

Bell also quoted Reed as stating: “Sam’s elite. I love my quarterback. Shoutout to ‘Ginger Cuz.'”

The fact that Reed has a cool nickname for Darnold speaks volumes about how they value the 29-year-old quarterback.

Eyebrows were raised when the Seahawks signed Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract in 2025. But he completely silenced the naysayers by leading Seattle to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2015.

Obviously, defending the throne will be difficult. But Darnold, who has made back-to-back appearances in the Pro Bowl, will be up to the task, teaming up with Cooper Kupp, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, Zach Charbonnet, and AJ Barner.

The Seahawks will begin their title defense with a rematch against the New England Patriots.

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