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For the first time in his career, Sam Darnold sat in the NFL free agency with options to be a starting quarter.
Despite a disappointing finish in the playoffs, Darnold’s best career season with the Vikings of Minnesota earned him the right to obtain a big salary. It was just a question of where – not so.
Although this is an excellent feeling for any professional sports player to have this opportunity in free agency, making the right choice is not easy. There are many factors, personal and professionals, who enter a player deciding to choose a different team.
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The quarter of the Minnesota Vikings, Sam Darnold, # 14, launches a pass during the first half of an NFL football match against the Bears in Chicago on Sunday, November 24, 2024 in Chicago. (AP photo / Charles Rex Arbogast)
However, when the Seattle Seahawks exchanged the caller of the veteran signal Geno Smith at Las Vegas raiders, speculation started immediately. Could Darnold go to Seattle?
He thought exactly the same with his agents at Creative Artists Agency.
“I looked at my free agent options and I was talking about my agent, then all of a sudden, we hear the news that Geno [Smith] was exchanged, “Darnold told PK Press Club Digital, while discussing his work with the LOWE Foundation for Skillsusa’s national signing day.” And it was a bit like “OK, Seattle could be a potential place”.
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“When I just discovered the mutual interest that the two parties had to conclude an agreement, it was something that was really important to me. Having someone who also wanted me there and being able to have an impact as best I can.”
Seeing mutual interest is a main factor, but it comes down to the success of the player, in particular a quarter-arre.
The Seahawks had a new head coach last season, Mike Macdonald, from the Baltimore Ravens. Although they did not participate in the playoffs, they missed with a 10-7 file-not too bad for a first-year head coach.
The Vikings of Minnesota Vikings, Sam Darnold, n ° 14, warms before the match against the 49ers of San Francisco at the US Bank Stadium. (Images Brad Répel-Imagn)
Darnold loved what he saw when he faced the Seahawks in a 27-24 victory for his Vikings.
“There are great players in defense, great players in attack. I have the impression that the plan of coach Macdonald in defense was really difficult to go against last year, and I know coach Klint Kubiak,” said Darnold. “I know him from 2023 in San Francisco, when we did this race there, so I know the system enough. I think all these combined factors were really the reason why I fell in love with the decision to come to Seattle, and, guy, I could not be more excited about this.”
Finally, while the product and diagram on the ground admire the peer, free agents always examine the chemistry and the culture of the team. Darnold saw it right away.
“Being here in recent weeks, it was incredible to be able to meet some of my teammates and certain coaches,” he said. “And as I have referenced myself with Minnesota, I just meet some of the people in the building. It’s just a special place, because you hear about it in the league. You hear about good places, bad places, spots between the two.
Sam Darnold, n ° 14 of the 49ers of San Francisco, seeks to pass during the compulsory mini-camp of SAP Performance Facility on June 7, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Michael Zagaris / San Francisco 49ers / Getty Images)
“Seattle has always been a place where guys like to go. They like energy, they like the environment, and that has really exceeded all my expectations. I am so happy to be here.”
Celebrate the next generation of trade workers
While Darnold obtains his bearings in his new city, he made sure to stop at the Seattle store ceremony in Lowe for the National Day of Skillsusa, which is a celebration reflecting the excitement of sports signatures but for future electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians and manufacturers.
Lowe deployed the blue carpet and everything for the students who were surprised by the new Seattle football star. This initiative is the one that touches near her home for Darnold. His father, Mike, has been a plumber for over 30 years.
“It was incredible,” said Darnold about the experience. “I saw the hard work he put in all his life. So, just being able to see these children and see the hard work they have already put, meet and tell them about the path they run, and how passionate they are.
Sam Darnold poses with trade students on the national day of the signing of Skillsusa with the Lowe Foundation. (Lowe Foundation)
“I think there are so many more opportunities in the world of skills trades, and my father and I talked about it, how there are no more children. It is a special opportunity for children to have an impact on their communities in a way that they probably don’t even know.”
New ADP data shows nearly one of five 20-24-year-old workers occupied jobs in blue colors in May 2023. Although this has increased by 2% since 2019, the United States has been facing a shortage of 439,000 construction workers.
