The Seattle Seahawks made headlines during the 2025 NFL Draft when they used a third-round pick on Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.
The playmaking and explosiveness traits from Milroe are visible, but the selection raised questions about how he fits into Seattle’s plans, especially since more traditional pocket passers were still on the board.
Attention then shifted to how Seattle plans to use Milroe, particularly after the team signed veteran quarterback Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100 million contract earlier this offseason.
Darnold, coming off a strong 14-win campaign with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, is expected to open the season as the team’s starter. Milroe’s selection, however, points to the franchise’s long-term vision under new head coach Mike Macdonald.
Mike Macdonald Says Jalen Milroe Will Be Developed as a Full-Time Quarterback, Not a Gadget Player
Some analysts drew early comparisons between Milroe and Saints utility man Taysom Hill, a former quarterback prospect who has developed into more of a tight end/fullback hybrid in New Orleans.
Macdonald didn’t waste time shutting that down.
“The way [the Saints] used [Hill] was more in a tight end-fullback hybrid role, sometimes taking snaps; Jalen is a quarterback through and through,” Macdonald said last week, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. “He’s going to be trained to play quarterback for us. When he’s in there, he’s going to be playing quarterback. But the athleticism is going to come to life when he’s on the field.”
That last line is important. Milroe’s skill set, highlighted by his speed, power, and improvisational ability, makes him one of the most intriguing developmental quarterbacks in the 2025 class. As a senior for the Crimson Tide, he threw for 2,844 yards and 16 touchdowns while adding 726 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground.
Macdonald finished 10-7 in 2024, his first season with the franchise. The former Baltimore defensive coordinator reiterated that Milroe won’t be treated with kid gloves.
“We don’t use patience a lot around here,” he added. “There’s always going to be an urgency in how we’re developing our players, how we’re training them. Jalen is going to be right there with everybody else.”
The Seahawks are looking to return to playoff relevance after missing the postseason in back-to-back seasons. Their last playoff win was a 2019 Wild Card victory versus the Philadelphia Eagles. General manager John Schneider and Macdonald are betting on the upside at the quarterback position — a formula that worked well in Seattle’s past with Russell Wilson, also a former third-round pick (2012).
Although Darnold gives the Seahawks a stable bridge, Milroe represents a potential future star if the development plan works as planned. Seattle’s message is clear: they didn’t draft Milroe as a gadget player — they drafted him to be a quarterback.
And according to Macdonald, that’s precisely how they plan to use him.
