Quarterback Sam Darnold was introduced by the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, two days after agreeing to a three-year, $100.5 million free-agent deal with the team.

Darnold had the best season of his career going into free agency, passing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns for the Minnesota Vikings, and used that performance to cash in with an exorbitant contract.

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Excellent coaching from Kevin O’Connell, in addition to elite receiving talent, including Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, were significant factors in Darnold’s ascendant performance. Yet during his introductory news conference, he also credited former teammate Brock Purdy with his improvement.

Darnold backed up Purdy during the 2023-24 season with the San Francisco 49ers and said he learned an important aspect of playing quarterback from his fellow signal-caller.

“My job is to be the point guard and get the playmakers the ball,” Darnold said, explaining the mindset he learned from Purdy. “That’s where it unlocked for me.”

Sam Darnold credits former teammate Brock Purdy for changing his mindset about playing quarterback while Darnold was with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Darnold certainly distributed the ball with the Vikings, completing 361 passes (at a 66.2 percentage) to his receivers, with 103 of them going to Jefferson, 63 to Addison, 51 to running back Aaron Jones Sr. and 41 to tight end T.J. Hockenson.

Though Jefferson was definitively the prime target (154 targets, to be exact), Darnold spread the ball around relatively evenly between his top two wideouts, then among his running backs, tight ends and secondary receivers.

A big factor in the Seahawks’ decision to target Sam Darnold as Geno Smith’s replacement was OC Klint Kubiak’s familiarity with Darnold and how the QB fits his scheme. They were together in San Francisco in 2023.

Here was Darnold and Kubiak talking about their connection. pic.twitter.com/ZKU08FM1hB

— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) March 13, 2025

Darnold’s experience in San Francisco influenced the Seahawks’ pursuit of him in free agency, with head coach Mike Macdonald hiring Klint Kubiak as his new offensive coordinator. Kubiak was the 49ers’ passing coordinator during Darnold’s lone season with the team.

“The thing about Sam that really sticks out is he’s an A-plus teammate,” Kubiak said, supporting the point guard notion. “He elevates those around him and guys he plays with respect him.”