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Sam Darnold joined the Minnesota Vikings as a journeyman quarterback last offseason before he enjoyed the best campaign of his career to receive a three-year, $100.5M contract from the Seattle Seahawks earlier this month.

The Seattle Seahawks were expected to struggle when they traded away nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson and named veteran Geno Smith as their starter. Smith, who became an opening day starter for the first time since 2014, had been written off by the national media. The only problem, he would later say, was that he didn't write back.