There has been a lot of chatter from Seattle Seahawks defenders this offseason, with the unit regularly trash talking the offense.
The idea is that the Seahawks’ defenders want to show which side of the ball reigns supreme in Seattle.
“The first OTA the defense just picked up where we left off in terms of, just … chatter,” safety Julian Love said during OTAs, per Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune. “Just, guys are just talking s— every play.”
But quarterback Sam Darnold hasn’t taken that trash talk lying down. In fact, he’s giving it right back to his teammates on the other side of the ball, albeit conservatively so.
As Love revealed, Darnold has been firing back with what he equates to “dad jokes,” which the Seahawks safety appreciates.
“It’s, like, those type of kind of jabs,” Love said. “But you can tell: ‘OK, he has some fire, to him.’ He’s used to being one of the guys, one of the boys. He’s not a square type of guy. He’s just … he’s cool. He’s cool with dishing back a bit.”
Head coach Mike Macdonald has also loved what he’s seen and heard from his new quarterback.
“What you love about Sam is he’s just a dude, man,” Macdonald said after the first practice of minicamp on Tuesday. “He’s, like, one of the guys. There’s a sense of he’s one of the guys. So he’s right there with them.
“But there’s some there’s some s— to him. Like, don’t mess with him. You know, he’s got that edge to him, that competitiveness. And the guys respect that.”
Not everything Darnold does has impressed his teammates, though.
According to The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar, wide receiver Cooper Kupp roasted Darnold a bit for being bad at golf and having a very simple menu of foods he likes to eat that led to a comparison to Kupp’s 6-year-old child.
“When asked about being surprised by anything he’s learned about Sam Darnold, Cooper Kupp says Sam isn’t a good golfer and has basic food taste buds, two traits Cooper says are atypical of quarterbacks,” Dugar posted on social media. “Says Sam offered to go to dinner and Cooper balked at the initial suggestions because they were so simple (they still went out to eat, though).”
“Basically, Cooper joked that upon hearing Sam’s suggestions it sounded like they were just going to get chicken strips and fries,” Dugar continued. “Cooper then said that’s essentially what his six-year-old eats at home, so he’d rather do something a little better.”
Eating habits aside, it’s pretty clear that Darnold is winning over his teammates in his first season as the starter in Seattle, which is also a campaign that is crucial for his career.
Darnold is out to prove that his incredible showing with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 wasn’t a fluke and that he’s every bit of the franchise quarterback he looked like last season.
On the flip side, he doesn’t have a ton of security with the Seahawks, as Seattle has an out in his contract in 2026 and the team already has a possible replacement in Jalen Milroe, who was drafted in the third round.
If Darnold can answer the bell, he’ll secure his spot as the Seahawks’ starter for at least another year. If not, Seattle could move to Milroe, depending on if he’s ready after a developmental year in 2025.
