Sam Darnold exits Seahawks-Patriots season opener with hip injury, ruled out

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold went to the locker room after suffering a hip injury on a sack taken on Seattle’s first drive of the season. Drew Lock entered the game for Seattle’s second drive, and Darnold was officially listed as out just before halftime. Darnold was getting further tests on his hip off-site.

Here’s a closer view:

The knee hitting the ground so hard is the primary concern here.

Darnold was clearly hobbled as he headed to the sideline, and according to the NBC broadcast, he initially waived off medical staff. But eventually he was examined and taken back to the locker room, his gait clearly affected by the injury.

Darnold, 29, was excellent in his debut season in Seattle, throwing for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in the regular season. He was even better in big games, including two key wins over the Rams. He threw for 346 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in the NFC Championship before the defense led the way in the Super Bowl.

Darnold was a great fit for Klint Kubiak’s offense, especially thriving on under-center play-action passes. Only the Rams were under center more than the Seahawks last season, and even though Kubiak got hired away as the Raiders‘ coach, new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury was expected to run many of the same concepts. Darnold had a league-best 11.8 yards per attempt on those types of plays.

Obviously, an extended absence for Darnold would be a massive blow for Seattle. The Seahawks have gotten encouraging early returns from running back Jadarian Price, but with Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III leaving for the Chiefs in free agency and Zach Charbonnet still recovering from a torn ACL, there’s not much experience in the running back room. Darnold’s efficiency unlocked an Offensive Player of the Year-winning campaign from Jaxon Smith-Njigba, too.

Lock made 21 starts across his first three seasons after being a second-round pick of the Broncos in 2019, but then he got shipped off to Seattle in the Russell Wilson trade. Lock lost the starting quarterback battle to Geno Smith, who ended up taking every snap of the season. Lock did get a short cameo in 2023 with Seattle before signing with the Giants in 2024. He appeared in eight games (starting five) and threw six touchdowns and five interceptions. He returned to Seattle last year but attempted just three passes.

Jalen Milroe is the Seahawks’ emergency third quarterback, which means he can only play if Lock gets hurt, too.

Overall, Lock entered the night 10-18 as a starter with a career completion percentage under 60%. He did get significant action this preseason and played solidly.