Sam Darnold Faces Crucial Season for His NFL Future
The 2025 NFL season is shaping up to be a make-or-break year for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, and he's not shying away from the pressure. After a roller-coaster career with the New York Jets and a short stint with the Carolina Panthers, Darnold now faces the biggest challenge of his career. With everything on the line, the quarterback is ready to prove his critics wrong and finally show the league—and himself—what he’s capable of.
“I’m ready to prove them wrong—this is my time to show what I’ve got,” Darnold declared, his words ringing with determination and focus. The stakes have never been higher for Darnold. The former No. 3 overall pick, whose career has been marred by inconsistent performances and missed opportunities, has found a new home in Seattle, a team eager to revamp its offense and bring Darnold’s potential to life. However, many are still skeptical about whether Darnold can live up to the hype. With years of criticism behind him, Darnold is determined to silence the doubters once and for all.
The quarterback’s journey has been anything but easy. After entering the NFL with high expectations, Darnold’s career has been plagued by inconsistent play, injuries, and struggles with the Jets and Panthers. Despite flashes of brilliance, he’s never been able to maintain that elite level of performance over an entire season. The whispers about his future have only grown louder, with many questioning if he’ll ever become the franchise quarterback that was promised all those years ago.
Now, as he joins the Seahawks, Darnold is armed with a fresh start and a new mindset. He’s learned from his mistakes, and with the mentorship of head coach Pete Carroll and an offensive system designed to put him in a position to succeed, Darnold believes this is his chance to rewrite his story.
"I’ve been through the fire and now it’s time to come out on top," he added. "I know what I’m capable of." These aren’t just words; they’re a declaration of his intentions. Darnold has worked tirelessly in the offseason, refining his skills, building chemistry with his teammates, and preparing himself for the challenge that lies ahead.
The pressure on Darnold is immense, but he’s embracing it. Seahawks fans are hopeful that he can deliver, especially after the team’s struggles in the quarterback position in recent seasons. With the Seahawks’ offense looking to rebuild, Darnold’s success could be the key to taking this team to new heights.
As the season draws near, the question remains: can Sam Darnold finally prove that he’s the quarterback everyone hoped he would be? Or will he continue to struggle under the weight of his past? One thing is for certain—Darnold is hungry for success, and he’s ready to make 2025 the year that changes everything.
Notable Absence from Miami Dolphins’ Team Captains
In his first three seasons with the Miami Dolphins, wide receiver Tyreek Hill was a team captain. Now? He’s not.
The Dolphins named their team captains for the 2025 season and they are quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, fullback Alex Ingold, edge rusher Bradley Chubb, center Aaron Brewer, defensive tackle Zach Sieler and linebacker Jordyn Brooks.
Back in May, Hill said that he didn’t deserve to be a team captain and that he needed to regain the trust of his teammates.
“I’ve got to prove myself,” Hill said then. “This OTAs, training camp, I’ve got to prove myself. I’ve got to show up different. The mindset has got to be different. I don’t feel like I deserve it, and if I didn’t get it, I wouldn’t dwell on it. I wouldn’t sweat it because I put myself in that position.”
Tyreek Hill talked his way out of the captaincy back in January
Following the team’s season-ending loss to the New York Jets in January, Hill made some real un-captain-esque comments to reporters. A team leader would have taken responsibility and emphasized hard work and focus moving forward into the offseason.
Hill decided to go in a different direction.
“This is my first time I haven’t been in the playoffs,” Hill told reporters. “I just gotta do what’s best for me and my family. If that’s here or wherever the case may be, I’m finna open that door for myself. I’m opening the door. I’m out, bro.
“It was great playing here, but at the end of the day, bro, I got to do what’s best for my career. I’m too much of a competitor to be just out there.”
Remember that time he said he had to prove himself again to his teammates? This is what he was referring to. So, based on his previous comments, Hill himself is not surprised that he wasn’t named a team captain.
Tyreek Hill even criticized De’Von Achane because of course he did
Yes, Hill was asked about his opinion on the Dolphins’ short-yardage struggles in early August and he answered. But, he needs to do a better job of navigating these things. He’s 31-years old and should know better than to get baited by a reporter. And not for nothing, what insight would a short, outside speed demon provide regarding 3rd-and-1 situations?
“Take De‘Von [Achane] out on third down — what?” Hill said. “That’s my honest opinion. If it’s third-and-short, he’s not a power back. I keep telling him that in the locker room, but he swears he’s a power back. I love De’Von, but if I’m being honest like that’s why you got Jaylen Wright, that’s why you got Ollie Gordon II, for those kind of situations.”
When head coach Mike McDaniel was informed of these comments, he surely didn’t have some private, table-flipping meltdown. But, he was most likely in the ‘I really don’t want to deal with this nonsense again’ camp.
“I thought it was genius reporting by Tyreek, seeing how we had a short-yardage period that very day that you guys were in attendance for, and his suggestion was I guess congruent with [running backs coach Eric] Studesville — that’s exactly how we repped the backs in that short-yardage period that very day,” McDaniel said. “But we thought it was funny that he reported the news that wasn’t news on that practice day in that short-yardage period that you guys were all there, too, for.”
These are absolutely the kinds of things that flashed through his head when picking team captains. Tyreek was most likely crossed off the list of potential captains further back than any of us know.
