Big Picture: Why Seahawks GM John Schneider Expects Sam Darnold to 'Play Even Better' in 2026

PHOENIX — Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider's eyes lit up when I asked about his team’s prized quarterback, Sam Darnold. In my conversation with Schneider, he emphasized the belief that the USC product has more to show entering his second season in Seattle. That’s right. Even after leading a different team to a 14-win season that included a run to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in his first year with the Seahawks, Schneider said Darnold having a second offseason under head coach Mike Macdonald and getting more comfortable in the offense will lead to even more efficient performances on game days. "Yeah, I know it’s crazy to say that because he won 14 games last year," Schneider told me, while posted up at a cozy table at the Arizona Biltmore hotel.  "But we’ve always said Sam is just a football player. When you take the quarterbacking out of it – all the quarterback schools and stuff that you go to – he’s just a football player." What do you mean by football player, John? "It means the quarterback isn’t separated from the rest of the team," Schneider said. "He’s one of the guys. And that means he’s a great leader." Schneider expects Darnold to create even better chemistry with playmakers like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed and Cooper Kupp by taking more on-field reps. And that’s something we should get an up-close view of, with the Seahawks set to appear on HBO’s "Hard Knocks" for the first time this year. Yes, offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak left to become the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders. But the Seahawks replaced Kubiak with San Francisco 49ers run game coordinator and tight ends coach Brian Fleury, who coached with Kubiak and established a rapport with Darnold during their time together in San Francisco. So, the bottom line is the offense remains the same for Darnold. "He’s going to be that much more comfortable from being around his team," Schneider told me. "Just his relationship with Coop and Rashid. Like, Rashid came in during the season, so that takes a minute to build chemistry. He gets another year with Jax (Smith-Njigba), and we have a really cool tight end group — [Elijah] Arroyo and [A.J.] Barner did a great job. "He can play even better." Schneider will lean on his experience in reaching back-to-back Super Bowls during Pete Carroll’s tenure in replenishing his team’s roster to defend last season’s convincing Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots. However, Schneider did not want to provide how that plan will be executed. "Yeah, tons of lessons learned," a coy Schneider told me. "But I don’t want to get into specifics because I don’t want to tell people what we’re doing. But yeah, we learned a lot through that process." Since Schneider is being a bit elusive, here’s what he told me about that time four years ago. Schneider said he felt that the Seahawks got away from the team’s core principles of acquiring fast, young, hungry athletes and letting them compete. "[It was] us not really doing a great job of bringing some guys in that were competitive enough to say, ‘I’m going to take Earl Thomas’ job.’ Or, ‘I’m going to go take Sherm’s [Richard Sherman's] job.’" Schneider told me in 2022. "We got into a couple classes there where we learned those guys were Russell Wilson on Madden, or they were playing Kam Chancellor on Madden. And now they're in a room with him and it's like, ‘Oh s---, that’s Kam Chancellor.’ Instead of saying, ‘I’m going to go try and take his job.’ "So, learning from our mistakes and understanding it’s more about the makeup and character of the person or the man, the grit and the self-confidence that they have. Just really trying to focus on that." The Seahawks will certainly need some players with the mentality Schneider's looking for entering 2026. They created some scuttlebutt in league circles by letting some pretty good players sign with other teams in free agency. That list includes Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III signing a three-year, $45 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs; safety Coby Bryant inking a three-year, $40 million deal with the Chicago Bears; edge rusher Boye Mafe agreeing to a three-year, $60 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals and Riq Woolen signing a one-year, $12 million contract to join the Philadelphia Eagles. Instead of making a big splash in free agency to replace those lost assets, Schneider focused on re-signing his own players (Shaheed, cornerback Josh Jobe) and outside free agents on manageable deals, like running back Emanuel Wilson and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, to compete for jobs made available by the lost talent to other teams. But as key contributors left Seattle this offseason, Schneider has also identified the Seahawks' core pieces. He recently signed the best player on his team, Smith-Njigba, to a four-year, $168.6 million deal, making him the highest-paid receiver in league history. Keeping the young and elite performer around ensures that Darnold will have his security blanket on the roster for the foreseeable future. And with Darnold on a three-year, $100.5 million deal, Schneider doesn’t have to worry about negotiating a new deal with his starting quarterback this offseason. "It’s huge because of the competitor and person he is," Schneider told me about the Smith-Njigba signing. "The way he handles his business, there’s zero problems. He just shows up every day and acts like he’s been there before." Schneider will have to dig deep in the draft, though, to find some immediate help this offseason. The Seahawks only have four selections in this year’s draft, although they do have their own pick in each of the first three rounds. However, because the 2027 draft class is considered deeper than this year’s group, Schneider is attempting to load up for 2027. Seattle is projected to have four compensatory picks in 2027 due to the lost players in free agency. Including those projected selections, the Seahawks are expected to have 12 picks in 2027. Along with signing Smith-Njigba, the Seahawks are also expected to extend the contract of fellow 2023 first-round pick Devon Witherspoon at some point this offseason. And the Seahawks have already signed offensive tackles Charles Cross and Abe Lucas, ensuring that much of the offensive talent around Darnold is back for another season. Schneider has pinpointed the foundational pieces for the team at premium positions as they gear up to chase another Super Bowl. "It’s about identifying what your foundational pieces are, and what the landscape looks like at certain positions," Schneider told me. "It’s not about those guys in particular [that we lost in free agency], it’s about the position and if you can replace them or not. "Obviously, those guys are unique people. And we’re not going to be able to replace the people. But those are positions we know we’re going to have to address. And we felt like from a depth standpoint and what other options are out there that we could to do that. We have a cool mix on our roster now of young guys who have never hit free agency before, and now a group that is hitting free agency for the first time. And you saw it with Jax."