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Somebody Finally Put Darnold on an MVP List
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon slid Sam Darnold onto his list of five “under-the-radar” MVP candidates for 2026, alongside dark horses like the Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence and the Vikings’ Kyler Murray. I want to be happy about this. I mostly am. But there’s a word in there doing a lot of unearned work, and it’s “under-the-radar.”
The man won the Super Bowl. Six months ago. On the same turf where a lot of people had spent the previous decade telling him he wasn’t a real starting quarterback. You do not get more on-the-radar than “reigning champion,” and yet here we are, with the national consensus still treating him like a lottery ticket rather than the guy who already cashed one.
Gagnon’s actual case is sound, to be fair. He notes Darnold led the league in turnovers last season but is still only 29, has limited mileage on the body, and has real support on both sides of the ball. Translation: the floor scared everyone in October, the ceiling won a title in February, and the truth is somewhere comfortably above where the rest of the league has him parked.
29
Darnold’s age — young for a reigning Super Bowl winner, with comparatively low mileage on the body, per Bleacher Report.
The catch he flags is the same one that’s followed Darnold all spring: a new play-caller in Brian Fleury after Klint Kubiak left. That’s the seventh coordinator in six years. At some point the revolving door stops being a knock on the quarterback and starts being a compliment to a guy who keeps relearning the alphabet and still spells better than most.
I’m not going to sit here and promise you Darnold wins MVP. The turnovers were real. But the over-under on how seriously the league takes this offense is set absurdly low, and I’ll take the over every single time.
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At some point the revolving door stops being a knock on the quarterback and starts being a compliment.
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Roster
Abe Lucas Steps Into a Contract Year With Nothing to Prove and Everything to Gain
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Remember, Lucas signed a three-year, $46 million extension last fall, a deal Field Gulls argued at the time could prove to be a bargain because of how Seattle structures its effectively-guaranteed money. A healthy, productive Lucas at that number is exactly the kind of cost certainty that lets Schneider go spend the real money elsewhere. Like, say, on a cornerback whose extension keeps getting talked about by everyone except the people writing the check.
$46M
Lucas’s three-year extension, signed in September 2025 — structured as a potential bargain, per Field Gulls.
The whole offensive line conversation has shifted from “can we survive” to “who pushes whom for snaps,” which is a luxury this franchise hasn’t had at the position in a long time. Lucas being one of the answers instead of one of the questions is a small thing that quietly makes the bigger things possible.
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AROUND THE COOP
Around the Coop
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz is still beating the drum to extend Leonard Williams before Witherspoon, noting Williams turned 32 this week and hits free agency in 2027. Two birthdays and zero new dollars later, the front office’s to-do list still reads the same. Pay one of them. Either one. Soon. Yahoo Sports
NFL.com confirmed the Hard Knocks cast list centers on Macdonald, Darnold, JSN, Witherspoon and Byron Murphy II. HBO is about to learn what the rest of us already know: this building is far more interesting than it lets on. NFL.com
Mookie Alexander’s reminder that Seattle announced 10 public training camp practices starting July 25 means the building empties for exactly one more month. Then the doors open, the cameras roll, and we all pretend the offseason wasn’t unbearably long. It was. Field Gulls
NFC WEST SCHADENFREUDE REPORT
NINERS
SI’s Raiders insider Hondo Carpenter reported that two teams have gone “nuclear hot” on Maxx Crosby: the Eagles and the 49ers. So naturally, within a day, a San Francisco insider went on the record telling everyone to pump the brakes over medical hurdles and roster stability. A team that recorded 20 sacks all of last season can’t even agree internally on whether it wants the pass rusher it desperately needs. The vibes remain a group project nobody’s leading.
CARDINALS
Arizona’s own offseason recap has Mike LaFleur laying out the plan: Michael Wilson “likely will have the Puka Nacua role,” Marvin Harrison Jr. gets “the Davante Adams role,” and Trey McBride will be Trey McBride. Bold of a team that finished nowhere near the playoffs to build its identity entirely out of other franchises’ stars’ job descriptions. Try being the Cardinals role for once.
SEACHICKENS TRIVIA
This former Steelers Pro Bowl linebacker signed a six-year deal with Seattle on Valentine’s Day in 1997, then led the Seahawks in tackles for three straight seasons and made two more Pro Bowls over his eight years here. Who is he?
Tap to Reveal the Answer
Chad Brown. His signing was hailed at the time as the best free-agent acquisition in franchise history, a centerpiece of the defense as Paul Allen’s ownership and the new-stadium era took shape.
Got a Question Burning a Hole in Your Offseason?
The building’s empty until July 25, which means there’s nothing to do but argue about who gets paid first and whether Darnold is actually good. Send your questions, your hot takes, and your tax-bracket anxieties to the mailbag. I read all of them, even the unhinged ones. Especially the unhinged ones.
One more month of quiet, then HBO shows up and ruins the secret. See you tomorrow. — The Rooster