The Seattle Seahawks got the best case scenario out of Sam Darnold in 2025, which was very good performance on a mid-level quarterback contract, culminating in a Super Bowl victory which would not have been possible had he been anything below spectacular for the NFC Championship Game. If nothing else, Darnold is the unquestioned starter heading into 2026, which is the first time in a minute where we’ve not had to speculate to the contrary regarding a Seattle starting quarterback.
Today’s discussion
is all about the other quarterbacks on the roster. Drew Lock is in the final year of his two-year contract, and he got far more playing time than expected last year but for good reason! Seattle was in so many blowout wins that Lock had the luxury of a lot of hand-off duties and only three pass attempts. At this point of his career, it seems like serviceable backup is about Lock’s level but you never know if there’s a team that wants to kick the tires on making him a starter again.
Jalen Milroe was the most intriguing QB in terms of his NFL readiness as a rookie. We saw him almost exclusively with third-stringers throughout preseason and then his few regular season snaps were all designed runs that ranged from unremarkable to disastrous. Unfortunately for Milroe, the ill-fated pitch play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was his first career turnover and his most recent play to date. There’s still time for him to develop but the urgency of having him be the potential franchise savior has lessened with Darnold’s performance. I’m sure there will be discussions about a Darnold contract extension in the months to come but we’ll get to that another time.
Lock is the veteran backup with an expiring contract, whereas Milroe is the talented prospect who has three more years of team control but isn’t really in consideration to be a starter right now. Will the Seahawks maintain all three quarterbacks this upcoming season? If not, which of Lock or Milroe would depart? And here’s another angle to explore: can Jalen Milroe become QB2 in year two? Give us your take in the comments section below!
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