Before signing with the Seattle Seahawks, Sam Darnold was one of the most intriguing quarterbacks on the free-agent market following a career-best season with the Minnesota Vikings.
While he has declined to publicly identify the teams that pursued him, the Seahawks QB may have dropped his biggest hint yet during a recent appearance on “Bussin’ With The Boys.”
Sam Darnold hints that Steelers may have been an option
As the conversation shifted away from Minnesota, hosts Will Compton and Taylor Lewan tried a different approach. Since Darnold refused to name the teams that contacted him during free agency, they began guessing franchises by their colors.
Taylor Lewan: “What other teams were in free agency coming at you?”
Sam Darnold: “That’s also a great question.”
Taylor Lewan: “You can’t even say what the other teams were?”
Sam Darnold: “No…”
Taylor Lewan: “I think we guess colors and you just tell me yes or no. Yellow and black.”
Sam Darnold: “Potentially.
Despite being only several seconds long, the exchange was a standout of a lengthy interview. Lewan’s comment “yellow and black” is a clear nod to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and while Darnold did not exactly admit there had been an interest, he just smiled and said, “Potentially.”
That word “potentially” does not do a lot to prove the Steelers actually tried for Darnold and there is no way to know just how serious the interest could have been, but considering how carefully he tried not to give away any specifics about free agency and the body language he used when prompted after being asked “yellow and black,” it was telling.
How one decision could have changed the NFL landscape
If Darnold was indeed referring to the Steelers, it is interesting to think about how different the NFL landscape might look today. Aaron Rodgers eventually landed in Pittsburgh, but if the Steelers had made Darnold their top priority and reached an agreement, Rodgers may have found himself searching for another destination altogether.
The ripple effect could have stretched across the league, altering one of the biggest quarterback storylines of the offseason.
It also raises an even bigger “what if.” Darnold ultimately signed with Seattle and went on to lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship. There is no way to know whether that same success would have followed him to Pittsburgh, or whether Seattle would have reached those heights with a different quarterback under center.
Sometimes one free-agent decision changes far more than just one roster, and Darnold’s “potentially” answer is enough to make fans wonder how differently the last season could have unfolded.
The ripple effect of a different decision
Even though Darnold was not going to give anything away, it has still given fans of both the Seahawks and Steelers organizations something to think about. One call could have given us all a drastically different landscape of who would have started for so many teams.
Instead, Darnold landed in Seattle, Rodgers ended up in Pittsburgh and the rest is NFL history.