Jalen Milroe’s rookie season stat line will not jump off the page. Appearing in just three games for the Seattle Seahawks, he logged only a handful of snaps as the third quarterback behind Sam Darnold and Drew Lock. After an early-season appearance against Tampa Bay where he had a fumble, Milroe was largely inactive, serving as the emergency quarterback on game days.
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However, Milroe was destined to make history despite an inactive year. Around 9:30 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday, he became the first Alabama quarterback to win a Super Bowl as a rookie. Not Jalen Hurts. Not Bryce Young. Not Joe Namath or Bart Starr. Milroe.
The 23-year-old is part of a hyper-exclusive club indeed. But Milroe’s year has not just been about the Super Bowl ring. His biggest takeaway: Learning daily under a veteran starter.
Backing up Sam Darnold and Drew Lock, Milroe soaked in what he called a combined 15 years of experience between the two (eight from Darnold, seven from Lock) across multiple teams, systems, and defensive looks.
“They’ve been on multiple teams, and they’ve seen so many defenses,” said Milroe. “With that experience, you’re able to teach, you’re able to be more confident, and you’re able to play much faster.”
From defensive recognition to offensive terminology, from why a specific call is made against a certain coverage to how to prepare during the week… Milroe said those details separate surviving in the league from thriving in it.
Entering a new building, the rookie admitted that you do not always know “the ropes” or the right way to go about things. Watching Darnold lead a successful offense set that blueprint for him.
Milroe repeatedly referenced what he learned at Alabama under Nick Saban: The next-play, one-and-oh mentality. It is the idea that whether the previous snap resulted in a touchdown or a turnover, it is already over.
That same approach, he said, is what he saw from Darnold. There was no lingering on mistakes. No emotional hangover from a stalled drive. Just reset and attack.
“It wasn’t pretty all the time,” Milroe admitted, “but always having that next play mentality, that was key.”
He also emphasized something that often goes unnoticed: Quarterback room culture. Darnold texted him on draft day. The veterans welcomed him in. Not every NFL room, Milroe said, is connected that way.
Before taking the field, Darnold would gather the quarterbacks and say, “Tell me what you see. Let’s have some fun and tell me what you see.” It was an invitation to think about the game, not just watch it.
Of course, Milroe is waiting under the wings for now. Darnold, 28, has solidified himself as the starter. Lock remains under contract. Head coach Mike Macdonald has emphasized that Milroe will continue to stack virtual reality reps, scout team work, and weekly developmental periods to stay ready. The path to QB1 is not immediate.
But if Milroe’s rookie year proved anything, it is that development does not always happen under stadium lights. Sometimes it happens in meeting rooms, on scout team fields, and in quiet conversations with veterans who have seen every coverage the league can throw at them.
