SAN FRANCISCO — As Seattle Seahawks Stepping off their charter plane and down the stairs to the tarmac at San Jose Mineta International Airport, there were few camera phones in the players’ hands and even less pomp or vanity in their swagger. It was a little after 5:30 p.m. Standard gray sweatshirts were the most predominant clothing choice. And the mission seemed quick: get off a plane. Get on four buses. Get this show on the road.
Among Super Bowl arrivals, this was a standard “business trip.”
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In the middle of the transit, Sam Darnold, Seattle quarterback went on a bus. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak went to another, joining the team’s coaching staff and traveling staff. Soon, the separation of their business will become more definitive, with Kubiak expected to reach agreement to become head coach of Las Vegas Raiders shortly after the Super Bowl. For the Seattle faithful, that was the bittersweet note that hung in the air Sunday, whether you were in San Francisco — where the NFL is gearing up for a slew of events surrounding the game — or 40 miles south in San Jose, trying to catch a glimpse of the Seahawks landing at the airport.
This Seattle roster and staff are on the cusp of the ultimate goal, and the group is already heading toward something of a breakup. It happens, of course. Kubiak and Darnold are certainly not the first coordinator and quarterback tandem to head into a Super Bowl knowing divergent paths lie ahead. We’ve seen this happen four times in the last eight Super Bowls – three times with the Philadelphia Eagleswith Frank Reich (LII), Shane Steichen (LVII) and Kellen Moore (LIX), and once with the Los Angeles Rams and Kevin O’Connell (LVI).
Kubiak should be five of nine after Sunday. And when he leaves, Darnold will enter the 2026 season with his eighth – eighth – different offensive coordinator during nine seasons in the NFL. If ever there was extra motivation to make this Super Bowl appearance count for a franchise, it’s the mystery of how Kubiak’s departure could impact the franchise and its quarterback.
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Yes, Darnold has certainly done enough to believe he can maintain his current level of play through another coordinator transition. But that doesn’t change the resulting risk. The departures of Reich, Steichen and Moore all impacted the Eagles’ offenses during the following season – and it wasn’t positive. And while the Rams’ post-Super Bowl offensive slump was as much due to injuries as the loss of O’Connell, his departure took a toll on head coach Sean McVay in the short term.
And let’s not forget that it was Darnold who repeatedly highlighted Kubiak during his trip as being a factor in his decisions or success. Going all the way back to his free agency signing, when he recounted that his comfort level signing with Seattle was due to having worked with Kubiak during Darnold’s 2023 season with the San Francisco 49ers. Darnold was a backup for that 49ers team and Kubiak was the passing game coordinator.
“(Working in a familiar pattern) was definitely one of the things I took into account in signing here,” Darnold said in March. “And again, just being able to work with Klint and talking a lot with Klint in San Francisco about what we liked and didn’t like. We have so much in common when it comes to football.”
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It’s not a feeling of nothing. And you don’t instantly create a project from scratch with Kubiak’s replacement, even if it’s an internal candidate promoted within the staff. There is always a rhythm that accompanies the continuity between a quarterback and the caller plays. Darnold alluded to it in June during organized team activities, when he talked about having to learn new systems throughout his career and finding a fit with each new player.
“I think at the end of the day, a lot of teams do similar things but call it different names,” Darnold said last summer. “That’s the part you have to learn – learn a little bit about what Klint calls it and what we call it in general, and just learning the terminology and everything that goes with it.”
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, center, said his time with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, left, helped lead him to Seattle this offseason. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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There are adjustments and refinements. Sometimes this works with internal hiring. Other times the cut fails. The Eagles have been a prime example following their last two Super Bowl appearances. Following Steichen’s departure following the 2022 season, quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson was elevated to offensive coordinator. It proved to be a poor fit, and Johnson was fired after a season that saw the Eagles’ offense regress. History repeated itself for the Eagles this season, when passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo took over as offensive coordinator after Moore left for New Orleansonly to see the offense falter again and lead to Patullo’s firing after one season.
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Along the way, the game of Jalen hurts suffered setbacks. The question for the Seahawks is whether they can avoid a similar fate with Darnold, whose last three offensive players have been Kubiak, O’Connell with Minnesota Vikings then Kyle Shanahan during his stint as a backup for the 49ers. It’s a tough act to follow for anyone who slides into Kubiak’s seat.
None of this is to say that Kubiak was perfect. Seattle’s offense didn’t really hit its stride until late in the season, at least in part due to inconsistency in the running game early on. And Darnold only had to carry the load intermittently down the stretch, thanks in large part to Seattle’s defense. But he’s also shown resilience, bouncing back from two regular-season games against the Rams in which he threw six interceptions, to win an NFC title game last month that was arguably the best high-pressure game of his entire eight-year career.
It was also one of Kubiak’s most superbly called plays. Balanced with the run early, then gradually opened up to higher-danger throws downfield that resulted in crucial plays, then putting the ball in Darnold’s hands late in the fourth quarter — with a pair of much-needed first downs on play-action passes — rather than trying to run down the clock by simply running the ball. It’s a rhythm and trust between the quarterback and playmaker that dates back to the fourth quarter and overtime in Week 16 against the Rams. And this could continue on Sunday against the New England Patriots.
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Now all that should end, with Kubiak gone and the Seahawks’ top priority suddenly becoming another offensive coordinator for Darnold. The bittersweet business trip began on Sunday. Where the Seahawks will lead in 2026 is anyone’s guess.
