Who Should I Start? Sam Darnold or Mason Rudolph

Tuesday, April 29, 4:07 PM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold will take over 90 percent of the offensive snaps in 2025, according to head coach Mike Macdonald. The Seahawks took former Alabama QB Jalen Milroe in the third round of this year's NFL draft, but not to immediately push Darnold for the starting job. But even if Milroe doesn't overtake Drew Lock for the backup gig, the speedy Milroe should see the field early on in packages designed to take advantage of his elite ground game. There was pre-draft speculation that Milroe could be used in a similar way to Saints utility man Taysom Hill, who Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak coached last year. Macdonald made it clear that Milroe will only play QB. Darnold earned the right to be Seattle's starter in 2025 after a career year in Minnesota, but it will be difficult to live up to his 2024 numbers with a group of wideouts that aren't nearly as gifted as what Darnold was working with in Minnesota.

Wednesday, May 28, 11:59 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph opened OTAs with the first-team offense on Tuesday, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. This news isn't much of a surprise, but it does confirm head coach Mike Tomlin's vision as full-team practices get underway this summer. Presumably, the starting quarterback job is Rudolph's to lose, barring an external quarterback addition such as Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins. Rudolph's internal competition comes from Skylar Thompson and rookie Will Howard. Thompson has completed just 58.7 percent of his career passes with one touchdown, three interceptions, and two fumbles. He primarily served as a backup over three seasons in Miami. Meanwhile, Howard is a rookie who impressed at Ohio State, but he has suboptimal draft capital as a sixth-round pick. On the other hand, Rudolph has shown flashes of potential during his time with the Steelers (2018-2023) and Titans (2024). In Tennessee last year, he completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,530 yards, nine touchdowns, and nine interceptions.