When will Sam Darnold come back to the Seahawks?

With a 4-4 record entering Week 9, the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks' title defense is still very much alive, but they do have a lot of work to do. For the time being, they will have to do that work without their starting quarterback. Sam Darnold won't play against the Arizona Cardin

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What is the story about?

With a 4-4 record entering Week 9, the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks' title defense is still very much alive, but they do have a lot of work to do. For the time being, they will have to do that work without their starting quarterback.

Sam Darnold won't play against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday as he contends with an undisclosed quad injury. Darnold also has a cracked rib that he suffered against the Chicago Bears last Monday night, but it is ultimately the quad that will hold him out of Seattle's latest NFC West matchup. Still, all around, it sounds like the Seahawks want to give their bruised and battered quarterback a chance to heal up for an important second half of the season rather than push him to play and potentially

exacerbate his current injuries.

I say that because Darnold reportedly may not play next weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders, either:

Sources: Seahawks QB Sam Darnold is in jeopardy of missing Seattle’s Week 10 game vs. the Raiders.https://t.co/vJpYJeCQbk

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 8, 2026

That means the earliest Darnold could come back to the Seahawks' starting lineup would be on Sunday, November 29th against the San Francisco 49ers. Given the 49ers' current status atop the NFC West, it makes sense that the Seahawks would essentially give Darnold most of November off from game action in an effort to recover for that heavyweight matchup specifically. Without knowing the exact extent of his current injuries, it's probably safe to assume he will be close to 100 percent again against the 49ers, with a month to recover.

We'll see how this Darnold situation progresses and whether the Seahawks can keep themselves afloat in the meantime without their starting quarterback.

Who is Sam Darnold's backup on the Seahawks?

Drew Lock is Darnold's official backup on the Seahawks' depth chart. He already won a game earlier this season in Darnold's absence, which ironically came against the Cardinals.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: When will Sam Darnold come back to the Seahawks?