Jalen Milroe has been turning heads at Seattle Seahawks OTAs, but that doesn’t mean Seattle fans should start penciling him in as QB1 anytime soon.
Why It’s Too Early To Crown Jalen Milroe
When the Seahawks drafted Milroe in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, it wasn’t exactly a shock. The Alabama product is an elite athlete and high-upside prospect, and his flashes during offseason workouts only fed into the excitement. But despite the buzz, Seattle isn’t planning to throw him into the fire just yet.
Veteran quarterback Sam Darnold, who signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal in March, remains firmly entrenched as the starter. Head coach Mike Macdonald said as much during a recent appearance on Seattle Sports 710 AM, adding bluntly: “Sam’s our starting quarterback.”
NFL insider Albert Breer echoed the sentiment in his Wednesday mailbag for Sports Illustrated, noting that Milroe is “raw” and that adapting to Klint Kubiak’s precision-heavy offense will take time.
“He was always going to turn some heads. The Seattle Seahawks also thought enough of him to take him in the third round, which is definitely not nothing. That said, he’s raw, and assimilating to Klint Kubiak’s offense, which is centered on detail and precision, is different than Alabama,” Breer noted.
“For Milroe to start this year (absent an injury to Darnold), it’d have to be a situation where the Seahawks’ season was circling the drain,” Breer wrote.
What Would Milroe Starting Actually Mean?
For Milroe to take meaningful snaps in 2025, things would have to go south, fast. If Darnold flops and the season spirals out of control, Seattle may opt to see what they have in Milroe ahead of 2026. But that’s not a scenario anyone inside the building wants.
The Seahawks made a serious investment in Darnold, banking on his familiarity with Kubiak’s system and experience in multiple pro-style offenses. He even worked with Kubiak in San Francisco back in 2023. Letting go of Geno Smith and handing the keys to Darnold was a calculated move, and it needs to work.
Right now, Milroe is squarely running as QB3 in open OTAs, behind both Darnold and Drew Lock. While that could change as the preseason unfolds, the Seahawks have made it clear that 2025 is about contending, not experimenting.
Still, if things unravel late in the year, giving Milroe some reps could help set the table for the future. There’s genuine belief inside the league that he could be a long-term answer if developed properly.
For now, the goal is clear: keep Darnold upright, make a playoff push in a very winnable division, and keep Milroe in the lab.