Sam Darnold's Return Timeline Still Murky: Reports Range From One Game to Six Weeks

Since Sam Darnold exited Seattle's Week 1 win over New England on September 10 after just one offensive series, the Seahawks and the reporters covering them have told at least three different versions of how long he'll be out.

The injury was initially called a hip problem serious enough that Darnold was taken to Harborview Medical Center for testing during the game, according to Seahawks general manager John Schneider, who confirmed the trip on the Pat McAfee Show. This prompted comparisons to Miami's Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered a career-altering dislocated hip and posterior wall fracture at Alabama in 2019.

The Seahawks confirmed on Monday, September 14, through ESPN's Brady Henderson, that Darnold's hip joint is fully intact and unaffected. What he actually has is described as a "very unique" soft-tissue injury in the glute, considered short-term, though the team declined to give a specific timeline.

The optimistic case

NFL Media's Ian Rapoport said on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, September 15, that a Week 3 return against the Washington Commanders is realistic. Washington plays Seattle 17 days after the Week 1 opener, on September 27.

"There is at least a chance he plays in that game," Rapoport said. "I would say he's probably missing one or two games, which is a really, really good outcome."

Rapoport noted how injury news gets reported in real time. "Everyone on the internet is basically assuming he's got like the Tua injury," he said. "This was not that, or not even close. This is sort of the problem with injury reporting now, is it looked awful, and then the actual outcome, you get all the tests and it's like, eh, pulled a muscle."

The more cautious case

Not everyone at NFL Media agrees. Mike Garafolo has said he believes the club is looking at roughly a four-week return, according to Newsweek. That would push Darnold's comeback past the Commanders game and into Seattle's Week 4 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio went further, reporting Darnold could miss four to six weeks, though he added Darnold will not need surgery, according to Field Gulls. Florio said the Seahawks are being cautious given how comfortable they feel with backup Drew Lock running the offense.

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer said on "Fox NFL Sunday" on September 13 that the Seahawks sought four separate second opinions on the injury before settling on a plan. "They're still trying to gather information," Glazer said, "to figure out exactly what the timetable will be."

Seahawks' public stance

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has stopped well short of any timeline. "We're still trying to figure out what the best prognosis is," Macdonald told Seattle Sports 710 after the opener. "The hip is intact and it's good, and it's more of like a muscle thing. So that's good, that's good news. Now how long that is, we don't know yet."

Asked directly whether Darnold would play against Arizona in Week 2, Macdonald hedged. "I don't know yet," he said. "In my mind, I'm kind of thinking Drew is going to play, but like no one's told me that. I'm just kind of, that's the way I'm thinking. Maybe that's a hedge."

One firm decision the Seahawks have made: they are not placing Darnold on injured reserve, which would have forced a minimum four-game absence. That decision by itself signals the team believes a shorter return is possible, even if nobody in the building will commit to a date publicly.

The stakes for Seattle's schedule

Drew Lock, who led Seattle to its 13-10 comeback win over New England in relief, will start again in Week 2 against Arizona. Seattle is 1-0. Whether Lock also starts Week 3 against Washington depends on Darnold's recovery, and after that, the schedule gets tougher fast. The Chargers visit in Week 4, the rival San Francisco 49ers come to Seattle in Week 5, and Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are on the calendar for Week 7.

Darnold's contract averages $33.5 million a year and runs through 2027, according to Pro Football Rumors. He was the centerpiece of a strong 2025 season for Seattle, his first year with the franchise after signing as a free agent. How much of the season he ends up missing over a soft-tissue injury that, by every account, ruled out anything structural, remains the open question the team's medical staff will answer in the coming days before the Cardinals game.