Prior to entering the legal tampering period in the NFL offseason, reports indicated that the Pittsburgh Steelers were preparing to make an offer to quarterback Sam Darnold.
Though Darnold ultimately agreed to sign a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks, the Steelers seemingly did make an offer to Darnold. At least, that’s what former NFL QB and FS1 and The Athletic analyst Chase Daniel claimed Tuesday morning.
Appearing on The Facility, Daniel stated that the Steelers offered Darnold a contract, but it wasn’t as much as Seattle’s. Daniel also claims that Darnold preferred the Seattle offensive scheme under Klint Kubiak over the one in Pittsburgh with Arthur Smith.
“The Steelers offered him, and I don’t think it was as much as this. In fact, I know it wasn’t as much as this,” Daniel said of Steelers and Darnold, according to video via FS1. “You got way more in Pittsburgh offensively. You had a bad offensive line, about the same as Seattle, and then you get offered this money in Seattle. Why did he go to Seattle? People are forgetting that it’s the same exact offense as Kevin O’Connell, Klint Kubiak’s the OC. He was with Sam Darnold in 2023 with the 49ers.
“So he felt more comfortable with that offensive coordinator and play caller rather than going to an Arthur Smith-style offense with Pittsburgh’s playmakers, even though they have put more playmakers, ’cause he felt more comfortable with the offense that they run.”
The Steelers missed out on Justin Fields in free agency, watching the quarterback agree to a two-year, $40 million deal with the New York Jets, which reportedly included $30 million guaranteed. That put the Steelers in a bit of a bind, considering most reports throughout the offseason indicated that the team wanted to move forward with Fields as its starting quarterback in 2025.
Fields took the Jets’ deal, which had the Steelers pivoting. Maybe that includes an offer to Darnold. But what is known is that the Steelers have turned their attention to 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who remains “in discussions” with the Steelers as well as the New York Giants.
For Darnold, it makes sense why he’d choose the Seahawks, even after they cut loose wide receiver Tyler Lockett and traded wide receiver DK Metcalf to the Steelers. The connection to offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is a key one, since Darnold spent the 2023 season with him in San Francisco, and he runs the same offense as Kevin O’Connell, who oversaw Darnold’s career year in Minnesota.
Even if he was a good fit in Arthur Smith’s scheme, that comfort within the McVay/O’Connell/Shanahan-style system matters and ultimately played a part. And if Daniel is accurate, the Steelers’ offer wasn’t near Seattle’s from a financial standpoint.
