Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald shut down the idea that Sam Darnold could lose the starting signal-caller job leading up to the season opener.
"No, you guys are crazy," Macdonald told Brock Huard and Mike Salk of Seattle Sports. "I respect that you've got to ask it, but it's just a crazy question. It's just not going to happen. Sam's our starting quarterback. We love him. He's doing a tremendous job."
During the first OTA practice open to reporters, Darnold had an up-and-down day that included multiple interceptions during a seven-on-seven period in the red zone, according to ESPN's Brady Henderson.
Seattle signed Darnold to a three-year, $110.5-million contract just a few days after trading signal-caller Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders. Darnold was the Minnesota Vikings' starter in 2024 and led the club to a 14-3 record.
Darnold threw for a career-best 4,319 yards with 35 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions in the regular season. Out of 32 qualifying quarterbacks, he ranked ninth in success rate and 14th in EPA/play, according to Ben Baldwin's database.
However, the 2018 third overall pick struggled in the wild-card round, turning the ball over twice with a 13.6 quarterback rating en route to a 27-9 loss against the Los Angeles Rams.
Darnold wasn't the only quarterback Seattle added this offseason. They spent a third-round pick on dual-threat signal-caller Jalen Milroe and signed Drew Lock to a two-year deal.
"I think it's funny that the media is out there for like the first day and they know exactly how good we're going to be," Macdonald added. "God forbid you're the worst payer of all time because you made one bad throw or one bad decision. That is not what we're trying to build."
Seattle will open its season against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 7.