Heading into their bye week in 2024, the Seattle Seahawks had a 4-5 record and a hope of something better. Intentional or not, things have changed in the team from that point. The franchise has gone on to win 20 of its 25 regular-season games since then.
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The Seahawks have ripped off three separate win streaks of four or more games in those 20 victories. And, more importantly, they are officially the NFC’s No. 1 seed this season.
Much of the success can be attributed to Sam Darnold. Yes, the late-bloomer quarterback who, ironically enough, fell just short of claiming the same No. 1 seed while reviving his career with the Minnesota Vikings last season.
“It’s just about learning from the mistakes and staying calm,” Darnold said when asked to reflect on his Week 18 full-circle moment.
According to him, the Seahawks are a “resilient” team that’s “won so many different ways all year.” And, as long as they “continue to build and get better throughout the weeks,” then there’s no reason they can’t find their first playoff win since 2016.
Of course, it’s a lot easier to celebrate your franchise’s success when they are willing to pay you. The Seahawks have made sure to reward Darnold for displaying the consistency that he flashed throughout his time in Minnesota.
In exchange for him eclipsing the 4,000+ passing yards mark for the 2025 regular season, Seattle will be gifting Darnold an additional $500,00 in bonuses. That’s a well-deserved compensation for Darnold, who became just the sixth quarterback in the league to record 4,000+ passing yards this year.
It’s also worth mentioning that the 14-3 record that the Seahawks registered this season is officially the best one in the history of the franchise. But it’s unlikely that Darnold has any contract incentives for that particular feat. Seattle’s original benchmark season was 13-3, since the franchise had never won 14 games during the 16-game era.
The conclusion of Week 18 stands as a benchmark occasion for both Darnold and the Seahawks. In addition to this being the second consecutive season in which Darnold has thrown for 4,000+ passing yards and +25 touchdowns, Seattle also got to experience a new single-season franchise record with Jaxson Smith-Njigba, totaling 1,793 receiving yards.
As always, the offense always gets the shine in the team’s success. Knowing this, Darnold did his best to dedicate his airtime to his teammates on the defensive side of the ball.
“I feel like there was a lot of opportunities missed [in the red zone,] but our defense picked us up, they have been all year. They’ve been doing a great job. It was just a total team effort tonight. I’m so proud of the guys in the locker room,” said the quarterback.
Darnold and Co. will have an extra week to celebrate and prepare for the postseason. They will be turning their attention toward making good on the fact that the last time the Seahawks’ No. 1 seed resulted in a Super Bowl appearance.
