The Seattle Seahawks made two bold moves last offseason that are now paying off in a big way: hiring Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator and signing quarterback Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million deal. Fast forward to Week 15, and Seattle is sitting at 11-3, tied atop the NFC West with the Los Angeles Rams-who they’ll face in a pivotal showdown on Dec. 18.
The connection between Kubiak and Darnold isn’t new. The two worked together in San Francisco during the 2023 season, with Kubiak serving as Darnold’s passing game coordinator.
That familiarity is showing up in a big way this year in Seattle. According to league insiders, it might just be the best move the Seahawks made all offseason.
“The hiring of Kubiak is the best thing Seattle did this offseason,” said one NFL executive. And it’s not hard to see why.
Through 14 games, Darnold is playing some of the most efficient football of his career. He’s completing 67.4% of his passes-a personal best-and ranks fifth in the league with a 102.0 passer rating. His 62.5 adjusted QBR is ninth among qualified quarterbacks, and he’s already thrown for 3,433 yards and 22 touchdowns, both top-10 marks.
But it hasn’t all been clean. Darnold’s turnover issues haven’t disappeared completely.
He and Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa are currently tied for the league lead in total turnovers (16), a stat that continues to shadow Darnold’s otherwise impressive resurgence. The low point came in Week 11, when he threw four interceptions in a narrow 21-19 loss to the Rams-his worst outing of the year.
That loss still lingers as the Seahawks prepare to host those same Rams in a game that could decide the division. Seattle comes in as a slight 1.5-point home underdog, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
So, what’s changed for Darnold under Kubiak?
“He is an efficient master of that offense now,” said another NFL executive. That’s a far cry from the quarterback who struggled with consistency-and confidence-during his time in Minnesota. There, Darnold had a pair of high-profile meltdowns in key games, and his tendency to press under pressure raised real concerns about his ability to deliver in big moments.
Those concerns resurfaced after the Week 11 loss to L.A., when critics questioned whether Darnold would always be haunted by the same issues that plagued him earlier in his career. But since then, he’s responded with sharper decision-making and improved poise-hallmarks of Kubiak’s system and coaching influence.
Kubiak, for his part, is drawing attention around the league. There’s a growing sense that head coaching interviews could be in his near future. But before any of that happens, his focus will be on keeping Darnold locked in for the rematch against the Rams-a game that could define Seattle’s season.
If Darnold can stay composed and continue executing at the level he has for most of the year, the Seahawks have a real shot not just at winning the division, but making noise in the postseason. And if that happens, the Kubiak-Darnold pairing will go down as one of the most impactful quarterback-coordinator duos of the year.