There's plenty of work to be done. However, the former North Carolina quarterback, who is tied with Drake Maye for the most passing touchdowns thrown in a single season, has a gunslinger mentality that Kevin O'Connell relished with former backup Nick Mullens. Some draft pundits saw him as a second-round talent, including NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.

Also new to the team is Klint Kubiak, an offensive coordinator who runs a system similar to Kevin O’Connell — the head coach of the Vikings. That’s one of the reasons Darnold was seen as a fit in Seattle as soon as Smith was traded.

One of the biggest sporting events of the year kicked off earlier this week when the 2025 Masters got underway. The golfing spectacle brings out the biggest stars in sports and entertainment alike. Among this year's standouts is new Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback Sam Darnold.