If the Seahawks thought that by signing Sam Darnold as a free agent this offseason they had settled on a tidy way what could have been a messy situation after the Geno Smith trade, they were wrong.

If Darnold thought that a Pro Bowl season with the Vikings in 2024 and that lucrative deal with Seattle would change how he might be perceived, he was also wrong.

Those are the two takeaways from a newsy opening week of organized team activities (OTAs) for the Seahawks and the quarterback who led the Vikings to 14 wins last season.

Darnold threw a few bad passes on Monday in Seattle's first practice that was open to the media, while veteran backup Drew Lock was sharp. Then there's the matter of Jalen Milroe, an intriguing but raw prospect chosen in the third round of this year's draft out of Alabama.

It was enough that on Tuesday, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was asked by a host on his radio show whether there was anything aside from an injury that would cause Darnold to lose his starting job. Here's the exchange:

Macdonald shut the question down pretty calmly and with humor, saying: "I respect you've got to ask it, but it's just a crazy question. It's not gonna happen. Sam's our starting quarterback. We love him. He's doing a tremendous job. I think it's funny that the media is out there for the first day and all of a sudden they know exactly how good we're going to be, how good all the players are, and all the tempos."

For his part, Darnold talked Wednesday about the process of learning new teammates and a new system.

"I think at the end of the day, I want to go out there and play clean football, but also, I want to go through progressions and be aggressive," he said.

Darnold signed a three-year, $100 million deal in the offseason with Seattle. But only $37.5 million was guaranteed at signing (another $17.5 million is guaranteed if he's still on the roster early next offseason).

While it might be crazy to suggest he could be supplanted as a starter after one iffy practice, the skepticism in Seattle underscores two things:

Quarterback status among everyone except the truly elite in the league can change quickly and often regardless of money (just ask the QB Darnold replaced in Minnesota, Kirk Cousins, about how things are going in Atlanta).

And even one tremendous bounce-back season that included 35 touchdown passes and 4,319 yards passing hasn't changed the Darnold narrative.

Maybe that's just added fuel for Darnold, whose 28th birthday is today. Or maybe those questions will become frequent enough that it's no guarantee he's under center when the Vikings and Seahawks face each other Nov. 30.

Here are nine more things you need to know today:

  • The Twins' magic number is two. Every time they have hit at least two home runs in a game this season, they have won (17-0 after Wednesday's victory at Oakland). That's a sign of their offensive dependence, still, on the long ball — but also of the dominance of pitchers who say, "Give us at least a few runs and we will make it hold up."
  • Speaking of pitching, though, ace Pablo López will miss at least eight weeks with a Grade 2 shoulder strain. A less severe strain would have meant a shorter recovery timeline, while a more serious injury might have meant it is season-ending. The Twins and López are left in the middle.
  • My question about the López injury is the impact on the bullpen. With Zebby Matthews (five good innings in Wednesday's victory) and David Festa in the rotation, will Minnesota's relievers be called on even more for extended outings and high-leverage appearances? They were up to the task Wednesday, recording a combined 10 strikeouts in four scoreless innings. But that work adds up and was a factor in the team's late-season collapse in 2024.
  • Minnesota Star Tribune columnist La Velle E. Neal III and I talked about the López injury and much more on Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast.
  • One name that I didn't have on my radar for the Wolves this offseason: Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. But he's there now, albeit toward the back with other fleeting thoughts, after Celtics legend Paul Pierce declared Minnesota "makes the most sense" for Giannis if he and the Bucks part ways.
  • The Frost lost a huge part of their success on Wednesday when defenders Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques were signed by the Vancouver expansion team. Those are big skates to fill as the Frost try to win a third consecutive Walter Cup next season.
  • The Edmonton Oilers, who knocked off the Vegas Golden Knights earlier in the playoffs after the Golden Knights had knocked off the Wild, took Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals 4-3 in overtime over Florida on Wednesday.
  • The Big Ten is trying to make the case that it deserves four automatic qualifiers in future iterations of the College Football Playoff.
  • Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins will be my guest on the podcast Friday, when we will talk about the ideal Wolves offseason, the College Football Playoff and expectations for the Vikings in 2025.