The Seattle Seahawks gambled on their future last offseason by trading Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, clearing the way for Sam Darnold to take over after his resurgent season with the Minnesota Vikings. The move paid off, as Darnold is now headed to his first Super Bowl with Seattle.
While the Seahawks topped Darnold’s list in free agency and ultimately signed him to a $100.5 million deal, Seahawks legend Matt Hasselbeck says there was one main reason Darnold chose Seattle, and it wasn’t the money.
Matt Hasselbeck Explains What Drew Sam Darnold to Seattle
Darnold revitalized his career with the Minnesota Vikings, leading them to a 14–3 record while ranking 15th in PFSN’s QB Impact Metric after J.J. McCarthy was lost to injury. But with Minnesota having already invested a first-round pick in McCarthy, the Vikings viewed Darnold as a short-term solution, offering him only a one-year deal.
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Darnold, however, was seeking long-term security. When Seattle traded Geno Smith, the Seahawks immediately jumped to the top of his list. While the three-year, $100.5 million contract certainly mattered, Hasselbeck believes the real deciding factor was offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who previously worked with Darnold during his time as a passing game coordinator with the 49ers.
“Most of the league was saying Sam Darnold is not good…and they (Seahawks) stuck to their guns, they’re like, ‘this is our guy,’ and I think having Klink Kubiak is one of the main reasons that Sam Darnold wanted to go there,” he said.
“There were a lot of teams that didn’t want him, but Seahawks were like ‘no, we love what you are’. You are 27 years old, you got all this scar tissue from the Jets and the Panthers. But we believe in you. They had success this year, and I think they are gonna have success for the long term,” he added.
Darnold echoed that sentiment after signing, calling Kubiak a major influence on his decision.
“He’s incredible. He’s obviously been around the game forever with his dad (Gary Kubiak) coaching in the league as long as he did,” Darnold said. “… There’s so much that I love about this offense, but I think one of the main things that I love is that I’ve had experience in it, and that was also a huge factor in me deciding to come here.”
While some dismissed Darnold’s breakout season in Minnesota as a product of Kevin O’Connell and Justin Jefferson, he has thrived again under Kubiak in Seattle, developing strong chemistry with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and improving to 13th in the QB Impact Metric.
Sunday’s Super Bowl 60 matchup against the New England Patriots represents his biggest test, but Darnold enters with momentum after throwing three touchdowns against a strong Rams defense in the NFC Championship Game. Win or lose, he has already validated Seattle’s belief and his own decision.
