There has been a lot of change for the Super Bowl winners, but one has the potential to impact Darnold negatively.
The Seattle Seahawks' offense last season was largely a Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Kenneth Walker show en route to a Super Bowl win.
Sam Darnold played his role, but it was his supporting cast, coupled with Mike Macdonald's defense, that powered Seattle to the title.
Now, as we look ahead to 2026, the Seahawks look a vastly different team.
There's no Kenneth Walker, and perhaps the biggest loss is Klint Kubiak, who is now with the Las Vegas Raiders as head coach. So, for the Seahawks to claim back-to-back titles, it's going to have to be well-earned.
Of course, the roster Macdonald has assembled is still one of the better units in football, but while there aren't many questions about the defense, the offense is a different story.
How will the offense look under Brian Fleury? Will the run game be able to be productive without Walker? Those questions will need to be answered.
And for Fox Sports' Ralph Vacchiano, he's ranked every quarterback's supporting cast, and for Darnold, his group comes in at No. 11, so it's in the upper echelon of the league.
However, Vacchiano detailed one thing that will impact Sam the most.
"Even with a full season of Rashid Shaeed, which should help diversify the passing attack, the Seahawks might need even more out of JSN this season," Vacchiano wrote. "There’s just no downplaying the loss of running back Kenneth Walker III, who was huge during their Super Bowl run.
"But there’s one other issue for QB Sam Darnold. "Losing Kenny Walker is going to hurt," one scout told me. "Losing Klint Kubiak is going to hurt more." The Seahawks' former offensive coordinator is now coaching the Raiders, and first-time coordinator Brian Fleury has some huge shoes to fill."
Fleury takes over an offense that does have some good pieces, not to mention a good offensive line.
There are still questions, though. Will Zach Charbonnet be able to take his game up a level, as will rookie Jadarian Price. Can Smith-Njigba be as productive for Darnold? Because there's no denying that a regression is coming after a 1,700- yard season.
There are a lot of unknowns aimed at this Seattle offense, but it has the veteran leadership and the players to keep this train on the tracks in 2026.
Darnold will again be central to it, and his supporting cast, on paper, looks to be good enough to maintain the standards of last season.
But time will tell if the offseason changes, in particular, Fleury, will help or hinder the defending champs.
