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4 Things To Know About Seahawks New Quarterback Sam Darnold

The Seahawks signed Sam Darnold during the first week of free agency. Here are four more things to know about the Seahawks new quarterback:

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Sam Darnold signed a multi-year contract with the Seahawks last week after a Pro Bowl season with the Vikings. The former third overall pick played at USC where he was named the 2016 Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year and later went on to lead USC to a Rose Bowl win where he set Rose Bowl records in passing touchdowns (5) and total yards (473). Here are four more things to know:

Office Fan

When he has time to indulge in TV, one of his guilty pleasure shows is The Office, with his favorite character being Dwight Schrute, who is played by Seahawks fan and actor Rainn Wilson.

Reunited With Kubiak

Darnold has had a few different stops in the NFL – he was drafted to the Jets in 2018, then was with the Panthers in 2021-22, was Brock Purdy's backup for the 49ers in 2023 and played for the Vikings last season. While he was with the 49ers, the now Seahawks offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak was serving as the passing game coordinator and worked with Darnold.

"Sam's extremely talented," Kubiak said. "Obviously a great thrower of the football. His mobility sticks out, his toughness, his maturity. The thing about Sam that really sticks out is just he's an A-plus teammate. Elevates those around him. The guys he plays with respect him because when your best players are your hardest workers, that's what you really strive for, and that's what you want as a coach, and Sam has that in spades."

Hollywood + Athletics Family History

Family history is always an interesting thing to look into, but Darnold's is particularly interesting because he has a family full of athletes and actors. Most of Darnold's family on his mother's side played volleyball, his grandfather played basketball at USC and was also a part of the U.S. volleyball team in the 1964 Olympics.

That same grandfather also had a run in acting that eventually led him to being the Marlboro Man in the 1970s.

Former Podcaster

Along with being a starting quarterback at USC, Darnold was also a podcast host. He helped co-host Season of Sam, and each week, he and Yogi Roth would talk about the season, Darnold's life and interview special guests like Colin Cowherd, Trent Dilfer and former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.

Even though the podcast is from 2017, you can listen here.

The Seahawks signed quarterback Sam Darnold to a multi-year deal on Thursday, March 13, 2025. Darnold began his career after being selected 3rd overall by the New York Jets in the 2018 NFL Draft and would go on to also play for the Panthers, 49ers and Vikings. He was named to his first Pro-Bowl in 2024 after throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns in his lone season with Minnesota. Check out the best photos of the Seahawks' newest QB throughout his football career.

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