“Obviously, I heard the Geno news. When that broke, I knew that this could potentially be a spot for me.” Sam Darnold‘s 14 regular-season wins were not enough for the Vikings to keep him on the squad. The day the Vikings lost to the Rams in the wild-card round, it became clear that the team wouldn’t be continuing with Sam. The QB had a spectacular run -imagine a QB who mostly served as a backup last season, leading the team to a postseason run. You could say Darnold has been the underdog this season.

So, after the Vikings let him go in favor of J.J. McCarthy, the Seahawks, who were searching for a QB following Geno Smith’s departure, decided to give Sam a shot. After signing a three-year deal worth $100.5 million with the ex-Vikings QB, Seattle introduced him on Thursday. And the 27-year-old had a lot to say at his introductory press conference. The USC alum dropped an interesting tidbit about the Niners‘ QB Brock Purdy, with whom he spent the 2023 season. He credited Purdy for his revival, sharing how the Niners QB1’s mindset flipped a switch for him. “I really thank Brock a ton, Brock Purdy, for just his style of playing… Like, my job is just to play point guard and get the ball in their hands.“

Sam served as the backup to Purdy during the Niners’ Super Bowl LVIII run. “And when I started to change my thought process as a quarterback to kind of just getting the ball in my guys’ hands, that’s when it unlocked for me a little bit,” Sam added. Perhaps that motivation played a part in propelling Darnold to his 14-win season with the Vikings last year.

The 27-year-old, who wore an unbuttoned flannel shirt as he appeared before the media, did not stop there. Sam is excited about starting his new journey with his new team. The QB is all in on doing whatever it takes to put wins in the column.

Sam Darnold: Flannel, Football, and a Fresh Start

It took six years for Sam Darnold to have his breakthrough. The USC alum stepped onto the NFL gridiron donning the Jets jersey in 2018. In his first season with the team, he racked up 2,865 passing yards and 17 TDs. Darnold had 15 interceptions in his rookie year. The story remained the same for the next few years, with Sam struggling with the ball. Then, New York traded him to the Panthers. Sam’s journey with the Panthers remained much the same.

It was last season under HC Kevin O’Connell that the QB unleashed his aggressiveness on the field, showing the world what he can do with the ball. Fast forward to today, the Seahawks are hoping that Sam can work the same magic this season with them. And that’s what the 27-year-old has in mind as well. “I think we have an opportunity to do something very, very special here, but it’s going to take a lot of hard work and we know that going in,” Darnold said at his introductory press conference. The ex-Vikings QB is ready to go to work with his new team. “Very excited to take this one day at a time, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to put my head down and go to work,” he added. 

Here in Seattle, Sam will reunite with his former passing game coordinator, Klint Kubiak, who is now the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator. Giving Darnold his flowers, Klint said, “The thing about Sam that sticks out is he’s an A-plus teammate. He elevates those around him, and the guys he plays with respect him because your best players are your hardest workers… It’s what you want as a coach, and Sam has that in spades.” The QB also shared that Klint was a major reason why he chose to sign with the team. “Just being able to work with Klint, having talked with Klint a ton in San Francisco about what we like and dislike. We have so much in common when it comes to football.“

It will be exciting to see how the two partner up in shaping the Seahawks this season and whether they can lead the team on a deep run.