Sam Darnold explains why Seahawks was perfect team to join in free agency: 'Special place'

For the archetypal clip successful his career, Sam Darnold sat down successful NFL escaped bureau with options to beryllium a starting quarterback. 

Despite a disappointing decorativeness successful the playoffs, Darnold's career-best play with the Minnesota Vikings earned him the close to get a large payday. It was conscionable a substance of wherever – not if. 

While it is simply a large feeling for immoderate subordinate successful nonrecreational sports to person that accidental successful escaped agency, making the close prime is not easy. There are galore factors, idiosyncratic and professional, that spell into a subordinate deciding to take a antithetic team. 

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Minnesota Vikings backmost Sam Darnold, #14, throws a walk during the archetypal fractional of an NFL shot crippled against the Chicago Bears connected Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024 successful Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

However, erstwhile the Seattle Seahawks traded seasoned awesome caller Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, speculation began immediately. Could Darnold beryllium heading to Seattle? 

He was reasoning the nonstop aforesaid happening with his agents astatine Creative Artists Agency. 

"I was looking astatine my escaped cause options and talking with my cause astir it, and past each of a sudden, we perceive the quality that Geno [Smith] was getting traded," Darnold explained to Fox News Digital, portion discussing his enactment with the Lowe's Foundation for SkillsUSA National Signing Day. "And that was benignant of like, ‘OK, Seattle could beryllium a imaginable spot.’ 

SEAHAWKS' SAM DARNOLD OFFERS CRUCIAL ADVICE FOR SHEDEUR SANDERS AHEAD OF BROWNS' QB BATTLE

"When I conscionable recovered retired astir the communal involvement that some sides had successful getting a woody done, that was thing that was truly important for me. Having idiosyncratic that besides wanted maine there, and to beryllium capable to person an interaction arsenic champion I can."

Seeing communal involvement is simply a main factor, but past it comes down to whether oregon not the player, particularly a quarterback, tin beryllium successful. 

The Seahawks had a caller caput manager past season, Mike Macdonald, who came from the Baltimore Ravens. Although they did not vie successful the playoffs, they conscionable missed retired with a 10-7 grounds – not excessively atrocious for a first-year caput coach. 

Minnesota Vikings backmost Sam Darnold, #14, warms up earlier the crippled against the San Francisco 49ers astatine U.S. Bank Stadium. (Brad Rempel-Imagn Images)

Darnold loved what helium saw erstwhile helium faced the Seahawks successful a 27-24 triumph for his Vikings. 

"There’s large players connected defense, large players connected offense. I consciousness similar Coach Macdonald’s strategy connected defence was truly hard to spell against past year, and I cognize manager Klint Kubiak," Darnold said. "I cognize him from 2023 successful San Francisco, erstwhile we made that tally there, truthful I’m beauteous acquainted with the system. I deliberation each those factors combined was truly the crushed I fell successful emotion with the determination to travel to Seattle, and, man, I couldn’t beryllium much excited astir it."

Finally, portion the on-field merchandise and strategy look up to par, escaped agents are ever looking astatine the squad chemistry and culture. Darnold saw it close away. 

"Being present for the past fewer weeks, it’s been astonishing being capable to conscionable immoderate of my teammates and immoderate of the coaches," helium explained. "And similar I referenced with Minnesota, conscionable gathering immoderate of the radical successful the building. It’s conscionable a peculiar place, due to the fact that you perceive astir it successful the league. You perceive astir the bully spots, the atrocious spots, the spots successful between. 

Sam Darnold, #14 of the San Francisco 49ers, looks to walk during the mandatory minicamp astatine the SAP Performance Facility connected June 7, 2023 successful Santa Clara, California. (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

"Seattle was ever a spot that guys emotion going to. They emotion the energy, they emotion the environment, and it truly did transcend each my expectations. I’m truthful blessed to beryllium here."

CELEBRATING NEXT GENERATION OF TRADE WORKERS

While Darnold is getting his bearings successful his caller city, helium made definite to halt by Lowe’s Seattle store ceremonial for SkillsUSA National Signing Day, which is simply a solemnisation mirroring the excitement of diversion signings but for aboriginal electricians, plumbers, HVAC techs and builders. 

Lowe’s rolled retired the bluish carpet and each for students who were amazed by Seattle’s newest shot star. This inaugural is 1 that hits adjacent to location for Darnold. His father, Mike, has been a plumber for 30-plus years.

"It was unbelievable," Darnold said of the experience. "I’ve seen the hard enactment that helium enactment successful his full beingness to it. So, conscionable being capable to spot these kids and spot the hard enactment they’ve already enactment in, get to conscionable them and speech to them astir the way that they’re headed, and conscionable however passionate they are astir it. 

Sam Darnold poses with commercialized students connected SkillsUSA National Signing Day with the Lowe's Foundation. (Lowe's Foundation)

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"I deliberation there’s truthful galore much opportunities retired determination successful the accomplishment trades world, and maine and my dada person talked astir it, however there’s not a batch of kids doing that anymore. It’s a peculiar accidental for kids to interaction their communities successful ways they astir apt don’t adjacent cognize they’re going to."

New information from ADP shows astir 1 successful 5 workers aged 20-24 held blue-collar jobs arsenic of May 2023. While that was a 2% emergence since 2019, the U.S. faces a shortage of 439,000 operation workers.

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