“When you don't win the whole thing, you failed”: Sam Darnold blames himself for Seattle Seahawks' downfall in the 2024 NFL season

From a 7-10 record in the 2021 NFL season to a 10-7 record in the 2024 NFL season, the Seattle Seahawks have strategically come a long way. The Seahawks were stuck at “9-8” for two consecutive seasons(2022 and 2023). Then came their star quarterback from the Minnesota Vikings. And thank heavens! He did. Because their season record moved from a stiff 9-8 to a superior 10-7! But Sam Darnold isn’t happy; he feels he led the Seahawks to a sad ending. He shared with The Athletic ’s Michael Silver after a minicamp practice last week that he failed. In his words, “When you get to the end of it, and you don’t win the whole thing, you failed.”

Sam Darnold revived his formerly flailing career in an emphatic way last NFL season.

The QB was in MVP conversations, but his final two games with the Vikings left a stench.

He is running point for a new team now. And he knows needs to prove himself again. pic.twitter.com/9w8FLSMRl3

— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) June 19, 2025

“We laid an egg as an offense,” confesses Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback Sam DarnoldMookie Alexander of the Field Gulls shared in December 2024, “The Seahawks offense under first-year coordinator Ryan Grubb is struggling.” Tim Weaver of Sports Illustrated said in February 2025, “We had hoped that offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb could scheme around that bad offensive line, but that didn’t work out.” Sam Darnold, too, recently shared that the team’s offense was unsuccessful. He said, “For lack of a better term, we laid an egg as an offense. And I think for me, personally, that sucks.”
But Sam Darnold does not blame Ryan Grubb, instead, he blames himself for the Seattle Seahawks’ failure in the 2024 NFL seasonThe 1-time Pro Bowler did not even mention their former OC, Ryan Grubb, in the recent interview with Michael Silver. Instead, Darnold blamed himself for underperforming. In his exact words, “I felt like we were a really good team, but at the end of the day - and this is gonna sound a little pessimistic - but when you get to the end of it, and you don’t win the whole thing, you failed. I feel like I could have played way better, to be completely honest with you, I feel I didn’t play up to my standard. I truly feel that way. I feel like if I would have just played better, I would have been able to give the team a chance.”
“I love his competitiveness, he’s not okay with things being just okay,” pinpoints wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks Cooper Kupp about 28-year-old quarterback Sam Darnold

#Raiders part owner Tom Brady reportely did not want Sam Darnold as the starting QB #RaiderNation #NFL pic.twitter.com/Qr9wLNVPpX

— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) June 20, 2025

Cooper Kupp, a 32-year-old wide receiver for the Seahawks, praises Sam Darnold to the T. In an interview with Michael Silver, Kupp said, “I think without a doubt, he(Sam Darnold)’s got his best football ahead of him. I love his competitiveness. He’s not okay with things being just okay. He wants to be perfect. He wants to be right. He wants to be good for the guys. That’s the standard he holds himself to, and I love it. The issue has never been whether he can throw the rock or not. I’ve been watching since he was at USC, and it’s like - Man, he can throw the ball!”

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