Should Seahawks Trade QB Sam Darnold Backup Jalen Milroe?

Coming out of Alabama, Jalen Milroe was quite the polarizing quarterback prospect. 

Opinions on his ceiling as an NFL signal-caller varied. Milroe was a freakish athlete who struggled with accuracy and was assumed to be a developmental project upon being drafted. 

He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of last year's draft just over a month following the franchise's three-year, $100.5 million contract agreement with Sam Darnold. 

Milroe appeared in three games during his rookie campaign, attempting no passes while seeing three carries for four yards and a fumble. 

Darnold's presence and steady play kept Milroe off the field in his first year as a pro — and the way Seattle ended the 2025 season potentially made the Alabama product's future even murkier. 

As time expired in Super Bowl LX, Darnold became the first member of the 2018 quarterback class to hoist a Lombardi Trophy, proving his long-time doubters wrong by succeeding on professional football's biggest stage. 

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With Darnold now obviously entrenched as the Seahawks' quarterback at least until the end of his contract, where does that leave Milroe? 

Will new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury install packages designed specifically for Milroe, taking advantage of the former third-round pick's 6-foot-2 frame and blazing 4.37-second 40-yard dash speed?

While that does seem possible since Fleury comes from Kyle Shanahan's uber-creative coaching tree, Seattle may find its best use of Milroe is to trade him. 

Darnold just won a Super Bowl. He's only 29 years old. The former journeyman isn't going anywhere. 

But Darnold's success doesn't cancel out the potential Milroe possesses. He'd be the perfect modern dual-threat quarterback in the right system with the right pieces around him — and he'd cost virtually nothing, from both a financial and an asset standpoint. 

Milroe is only owed $3.36 million over the next three seasons, and since he hasn't put anything on tape during his time in Seattle, the Seahawks realistically can't ask for multiple future draft choices. 

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His situation mirrors that of Joe Milton before the New England Patriots dealt him and a 2025 seventh-rounder to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2025 fifth-rounder — and Milton had defended home field in his professional debut by dispatching Josh Allen and the visiting Buffalo Bills. 

So while the return wouldn't be all that great, possibly gaining a future fifth-rounder would be more advantageous to Seattle's championship aspirations than having Milroe spend another three seasons ... at best ... on the bench at Lumen Field.

The Seahawks don't need to abandon Milroe's development, but establishing a clear direction for the former Crimson Tide gunslinger should be a high priority for Seattle.