The quarterback position is the most important in the NFL and teams move accordingly, meaning sometimes they will add a new QB in the draft, despite already having an established passer in house. We saw this happen in 2024, when the Atlanta Falcons took Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall shortly after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal worth $180 million in free agency.
We saw it again on a much less shocking scale when the Seattle Seahawks, who have Sam Darnold and Drew Lock, took quarterback Jalen Milroe in the third round. Seahawks general manager John Schneider said the team gave all quarterbacks on their roster a heads up that they’d be selecting another, so that unlike Cousins, who reportedly had no idea his team was taking a QB, (never mind that high) they wouldn’t have that shock factor.
Mike Macdonald told Darnold, Schneider explained, with the head coach telling their new QB, “Hey this isn’t about you, this is about acquiring an impact player.”
Schneider spoke to Lock, who was on the team from 2022 to 2023 and is beginning his second stint this season. They also told Sam Howell, who was traded to Darnold’s old team, the Minnesota Vikings, during the draft.
Milroe has been called one of the best running quarterbacks ever by some coaches and scouts, but does struggle in some decision making and accuracy.
Schneider explains that watching Milroe, there is a lot of “wow” (said in a positive tone) and a lot of “woah” (said in a more hesitant way). The GM makes the comparison to Brett Favre, who struggled with giving the ball away, but still had a Hall of Fame career.
“He’s a special young man, he’s been great so far,” Schneider said of Milroe, adding he “obviously has a high ceiling.”
For now at least, there is no talks of Milroe getting the starting job, as this is Darnold’s team. Schneider wants to give the offensive staff time to develop the rookie and do some “unique” things with him.
The expectation for Darnold on the other hand is “very high” immediately, with Schneider adding that the 27-year-old “just keeps making really cool progress every year.”
Last season was the best year yet for Darnold, who helped lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record with career highs in passing yards (4,319), touchdowns (39) and completion percentage (66.2).
When asked if there’s a “Milroe package” that we may see on display next year, Schneider wouldn’t give a direct answer, but did say even he is excited to see how things play out. The GM noted that new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak did a lot with the talent on the New Orleans Saints offense last year, adding in tight end/quarterback player Taysom Hill.
“I think it’s gonna be fun to watch and see how it plays out … it’s going to be really fun to see how this fits in. Challenging? Sure, but I think it’s gonna be fun to see,” Schneider said.
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