Transcript

What makes Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold so SPECIAL | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL

From The Herd with Colin Cowherd · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 43 min · 8,410 words · 125 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "What makes Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold so SPECIAL | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL", an episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd published February 3, 2026 (43 min, about 8,410 words). It mentions 25 people, works and ideas, including Sam Darnold, Jordan Palmer, NFL, Super Bowl, Drake May.

What this episode is about

The discussion focuses on Sam Darnold's journey as a quarterback, highlighting his early potential recognized during high school and college, and the challenges he faced during his transition to collegiate football at USC. Insights from Jordan Palmer, who has worked with Darnold since he was 14, provide a perspective on his development and the attributes that set him apart as a player.

Key takeaways

  • From red-headed underdog to NFL starter, Sam Darnold shows resilience can rewrite destiny.
  • It's not just talent; mastery means adapting and evolving, even after MVP-level seasons.
  • Mechanics matter: correcting a 24.6% miss rate is a game-changer for contract year performances.
  • Coaching isn't just strategy; it's proactive problem-solving, shaping future success before it falters.
  • Football’s future stars are molded in the off-season, where growth happens far from the spotlight.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: Sam Darnold, Jordan Palmer, NFL, Quarterback Summit
  2. – 10:00: Drake May, NFL, Super Bowl, Alex Smith
  3. – 15:00: Sam Darnold, Super Bowl, Drake May, Seattle
  4. – 20:00: Mike McCarthy, Super Bowl, Bengals, Jags
  5. – 25:00: ACC Championship, Jordan Palmer, Super Bowl
  6. – 30:00: New England, Super Bowl, Drake May, Seattle
  7. – 35:00: Super Bowl, Drake May, Mike McCarthy
  8. – 40:00: Seattle, Sam Darnold, Super Bowl, New England
  9. – 42:36: Sam Darnold

Notable quotes from "What makes Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold so SPECIAL | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL"

  • Founded Thread Performance nutrition company that helps young athletes. So you've worked with Darnold since like high school. And I remember at USC, I think it was Sarkc, if I…
    about Sam Darnold · at
  • On the team. You can grow into that. So, I see a lot of the similarities and Drake is kind of one of those guys who's been ready for the moment.
    about Drake May · at
  • The founder of Quarterback Summit, also the founder of Thread Performance, a nutrition company that exists to help young athletes fulfill their physical and mental potential both on and off the.
    about Quarterback Summit · at
  • It is obviously the first Super Bowl for not only Sam Darnold but Drake May and I had Tom Brady on for about 25 minutes and one of the things I asked him is, it's one thing Tom when you've.
    about Super Bowl · at
  • Seattle is a better version of New England. They're both athletic big quarterbacks that move well. One's got a little more experience. Both offensive lines are kind of the weakness of the.
    about Seattle · at
  • Always something with Aaron Rogers. All right, so u Mike McCarthy gets the job in Pittsburgh. He's installing his new staff and he's expected to bring on a gentleman by the name of Frank Signetti Jr.
    about Mike McCarthy · at
  • Then he went to the bench. Fun way to end his career. I just had to get that in. final story. Let's go to Denver, Colin. Now, Denver Broncos obviously lost the AFC Championship…
    about ACC Championship · at
  • Now New England was different. They had a lot of new faces, free agents, five rookies playing, and to be honest with you, it unraveled. It felt like they got a little that's what my.
    about New England · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Sam Darnold — Person · Primary subject (referenced quarterback) · 15 mentions · first at
    Central QB case study; Jordan Palmer and the hosts discuss Darnold’s early development, USC competition, and pro-level mechanical refinement.
  • Jordan Palmer — Person · Main guest (QB consultant) · 3 mentions · first at
    Provides expert evaluation and training methodology for multiple QBs (Darnold, Drake May, Mendoza), describing his year-round retainer model and mechanical fixes.
    Bengals, the Jags, the Bears, the Titans, and love Chicago as much as I do now. His name is Jordan Palmer, quarterback consultant. joining us. Also founded Thread Performance…
  • Drake May — Person · Referenced quarterback prospect/young QB · 10 mentions · first at
    Discussed as a high-upside modern QB; Palmer highlights personality traits, physical tools, and developmental parallels to Josh Allen’s early-career growth ingredients.
  • Mike McCarthy — Person · Referenced coach (NFL staffing storyline) · 4 mentions · first at
    Discussed in a news segment about staffing decisions and implications for Aaron Rodgers; framed as making intentional hires and putting his stamp on a new situation.
  • Ian Brady — Person · Referenced quarterback/mentor figure · 2 mentions · first at
    Appears in two ways: (1) host references an interview about Super Bowl preparation; (2) Palmer frames Brady as a guiding presence for a Vegas QB situation.
    It is obviously the first Super Bowl for not only Sam Darnold but Drake May and I had Tom Brady on for about 25 minutes and one of the things I asked him is, it's one thing Tom when you've been to your second, third, fourth,.
  • Carson Palmer — Person · Referenced comparison figure · 1 mention · first at
    Used as a visual/physical comparison for young Darnold; also tied to Jordan Palmer’s background and shared coaching lineage.
    I'm Hey, that little redhead kid looks deadon Carson Palmer when he was that age. And we were laughing about it. Fast forward two years and he's in the Elite 11. And that was when I was Oh, that kid ended up being.
  • Klay Helton — Person · Referenced coach (USC context) · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as USC head coach during Darnold’s early college QB competition and the decision-making around starting him.
    Media right now. He's a great dude. And Max was a grad senior. He could transfer if he didn't win the job. It was Klay Hilton was the head coach at the time.
  • Alex Smith — Person · Referenced player (style/trait anchor) · 1 mention · first at
    Invoked as a non-literal stylistic reference point for Mendoza—mobility, taking what’s available, and high processing.
    So I don't like comp so that's not a comp, but it's in terms of the mobility I think it is and you know Alex Smith was the number one pick in the draft.

Companies & orgs

  • Quarterback Summit — Company · Business focus · 2 mentions · first at
    A program mentioned that helps quarterbacks reach their potential, founded by Jordan Palmer.
  • Thread Performance — Company · Business focus · 2 mentions · first at
    A nutrition company founded by Jordan Palmer that helps young athletes.
    The founder of Quarterback Summit, also the founder of Thread Performance, a nutrition company that exists to help young athletes fulfill their physical and mental potential both on and off the.
  • Bengals — Company · Business focus · 2 mentions · first at
    Mentioned as one of the teams Jordan Palmer played for in the NFL.
    Played in the NFL for six years, the Bengals, the Jags, the Bears, the Titans, and love Chicago as much as I do now. His name is Jordan Palmer, quarterback consultant. joining us. Also.
  • Jags — Company · Business focus · 2 mentions · first at
    Mentioned as one of the teams Jordan Palmer played for in the NFL.
    Played in the NFL for six years, the Bengals, the Jags, the Bears, the Titans, and love Chicago as much as I do now. His name is Jordan Palmer, quarterback consultant. joining us. Also.
  • Bears — Company · Business focus · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as one of the teams Jordan Palmer played for in the NFL.
    Well, I like everything about Drake May. I remember Josh Macau. I backed him up in Chicago who was done playing, figuring out his next move, and was telling me about this high school kid because he volunteer coached in high.
  • Titans — Company · Business focus · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as one of the teams Jordan Palmer played for in the NFL.
    Played in the NFL for six years, the Bengals, the Jags, the Bears, the Titans, and love Chicago as much as I do now. His name is Jordan Palmer, quarterback consultant. joining us. Also.

Concepts & topics

  • NFL — Concept · Core topic · 2 mentions · first at
    Central theme of the episode, discussing various aspects of the NFL including teams, players, and events.
    Well, he's the founder of Quarterback Summit, a program that helps quarterbacks reach their potential.

Places & events

  • Super Bowl — Event · Core topic · 12 mentions · first at
    Major event discussed in the context of NFL and team performances.
  • Seattle — Place · Setting · 9 mentions · first at
    Mentioned in the context of the NFL team and their performance.
  • New England — Place · Setting · 7 mentions · first at
    Mentioned in the context of the NFL team and their performance.
  • ACC Championship — Event · Core topic · 3 mentions · first at
    Mentioned in the context of NFL and team performances.
  • Rose Bowl — Event · Core topic · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned in the context of college football and player performances.
    Ready. When you red shirt, you don't have to stay ready. And they struggled. I think they went 0 and3 and when they pulled the trigger on Sam you know he rattled off eight or…
  • Penn State — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at
    Mentioned in the context of college football and player performances.
    When they pulled the trigger on Sam you know he rattled off eight or nine straight Rose Bowl MVP beat Penn State on fourth down and kind of became Sam Darnold. the suck for Sam…
  • Miami — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned in the context of college football and player performances.
    Moved it up to number one or two in the league. And when you get a really good defensive coach, like obviously Mike McDaniel goes to Miami and they got all sorts of motion and…
  • Cal — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned in the context of college football and player performances.
    Some bad calls, I think, and maybe a drop, but he made they lost the game at Florida State, Cal at Florida State. He lost that game but made like four or five plays at the end…
  • Florida State — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned in the context of college football and player performances.
    Some bad calls, I think, and maybe a drop, but he made they lost the game at Florida State, Cal at Florida State. He lost that game but made like four or five plays at the end…
  • Jerry World — Place · Setting · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as the venue for a college football game.
    And honestly, Sam outperformed him, but they opened up week one at Jerry's World vers Bama. So, if they would have started Sam week one, Max would have transferred and they…

Full transcript with timestamps

Welcome to the Herd's official YouTube channel. Make sure to like and subscribe. Don't forget to check out the Colin Coward podcast, all of our NFL instant reactions, and more football content. Well, he's the founder of Quarterback Summit, a program that helps quarterbacks reach their potential. Played in the NFL for six years, the Bengals, the Jags, the Bears, the Titans, and uh and love Chicago as much as I do now. His name is Jordan Palmer, quarterback consultant. joining us. Also founded Thread Performance nutrition company that helps young athletes. So you've worked with Darnold since like high school. And I remember at USC, I think it was Sarkc, if I recall, he was a freshman and Sarkc said to me, he goes, "This kid from Oceanside, he goes, he's really good. He's got to clean up some stuff." So go back to the very early Sam Darnold days. What was obvious? What needed work back then?

Well, I mean, I met him when he was 14 and uh honestly, he was a redheaded freckled kind of had buck teeth and I was throwing with my old high school coach I was playing at the time and I was jo but the high school coach I was throwing with coached Carson and I when we were little. So, I was joking around. I'm like, "Hey, that little redhead kid looks deadon Carson Palmer when he was that age." And we were laughing about it. Fast forward two years and he's in the Elite 11. And that was when I was like, "Oh, that kid ended up being good." But really, he red shirted his first year at SC and uh his his second year, his red shirt freshman year. He was in a quarterback competition with Max Brown, who does a great job with media right now. He's a great dude. And Max was a grad senior. He could transfer if he didn't win the job. It was uh Klay Hilton was the head coach at the time.

And honestly, Sam outperformed him, but they opened up week one at Jerry's World vers Bama. So, if they would have started Sam week one, Max would have transferred and they would have had a red shirt freshman starter. I think they had a true freshman backup and a walk-on behind him. So, Sam didn't win the job. And I remember him calling me right after he got the news and being really upset and talking about I remember that conversation about this is a rep and this is your first time having to stay ready. When you red shirt, you don't have to stay ready. And uh they struggled. I think they went 0 and3 and when they pulled the trigger on Sam uh you know he rattled off eight or nine straight Rose Bowl MVP beat Penn State on fourth down and kind of became Sam Darnold. the suck for Sam campaign started on the internet

and uh watching him handle that and uh grow through that and channel the frustration not being named the starter but being ready uh I think really laid the groundwork for a lot of these difficult situations that he's been in the last decade uh and how well he's handled him

when a guy now Sam has had back-to-back MVP level years if if Sam called you Jordan and said hey hey can I can I come down for a couple PH what do you work on once a player's at a high level?

Yeah, it's a great question. I mean um it's it's different. Sam is uh Sam Burrow and and a lot of college guys are in this program. We I operate in the space differently than anybody else in that everybody's on retainer for the year. So with Sam and and all my clients, it's broken into quarterly. Um phase one is whenever you start until spring. Uh phase two is spring ball or OTAAS if you're in the NFL. Uh phase three is your best opportunity for growth. That's coming out of spring or OTAAS and going into summer. And then phase four is the season. So uh in my office, I've got a golf simulator uh that's essentially a content studio and we break down practice and games and curate um things on a weekly basis. So I I for the last whatever 20 weeks or how many games he's played this year, um we're pulling things from games and sometimes mirroring and dropping it into his folder. So he likes to I think

Tuesday nights watch these and and essentially kind of you almost outsource your mechanics uh and which is becoming more normal and um and so we're we're curating things that started on a basketball court in February. We typically go four to six weeks with him uh with no football and for 5 years he's been learning a new offense which means new footwork. So we curate that in phase one. We see what sticks in phase two which is OTAAS. Address things that didn't stick. build the offseason programming for phase three and then in season it's about maintaining it and every now and then introducing a new idea. And so an example of this was last year in Minnesota he's 5-0 on by week and he's sitting on my couch right here.

And we ran the numbers and determined that the largest grouping of misses that he had was outbreaking routes to the right and it was 24.6% I believe. And so we addressed the mechanical issue, what he was doing mechanically and what he was doing from an alignment perspective that was causing those misses. 100% of those misses were a little bit behind the guy. Zero of them were out in front. So we gave him things to do around his house, a golf club between his arms, moving, seeing the golf club come into your peripheral vision turned into tape on the left shoulder pad, building that peripheral vision, and it was all around um front side alignment, drawing that shoulder closed. Since then, he has not missed one to his right behind a guy.

We're able to kind of press delete on a future 24.6% of your misses in a contract year on a Super Bowl run.

So, Drake May more of an East Coast guy. You didn't have the West Coast connection to him initially. Um, when you I I feel like not that he's a work in progress. I think he's a better quarterback than he was in September, but like when you see him just TV, what jumps out to you that you like about Drake May? Well, I mean, I like everything about Drake May. I remember Josh Macau. I backed him up in Chicago who was done playing, figuring out his next move, and was telling me about this high school kid because he volunteer coached in high school, and he coached Drake May's team.

And then I saw Drake May at the Elite 11. So, I've been hearing about him. Um, but I like everything. And I know that's a bad answer. Uh, personalitywise, he's a combination of like Philip Rivers, just good old boy, country, cool, what you see is what you get, but he's also really funny. Um, nothing will change about him and his personality as he makes more money and has more success. He's he's one of those guys like Sam that just is not going to be any different than he always was. Um, and it's well documented. His older brothers holding him accountable and keeping him humble. Uh but physically uh he he's this new era of quarterback. I know there's been a lot of Josh Allen comparisons and I'm not comparing them.

Uh they have different resumes. Uh but what he did in his second year, Josh did in his third, you know, that jump it was that third year. And I think there's a couple of the same ingredients. One, uh just to say the name of the person, Stefon Diggs, I think a guy that can create separation, um that has some savviness to him and is a veteran. Um, that was the same in Josh's year three and it was the same in Drake's year two. A coordinator know who knows what the quarterback um struggles with. So, they don't call that a whole lot. They don't ask them to do that a whole lot. With young guys, a lot of times that's just fullfield progressions. Um, and then knowing what the strong suit is, which is um concepts where hey, if you get to number three and they're not there, already be leaving the pocket um and scheming guys open. Another thing is Dawson Knox was really good before Dalton Concade got there for Josh Allen

having a tight end who's always going to be in the right spot at the right time um and is rangy and they have that in Hunter Henry. Y

and uh and a run game to compliment and then the coordinator you know Brian Deble for Josh in year three um Josh McDaniels year two here. So, I think there's a lot of um commonalities and both the last thing I'd say is, you know, because of it's a defensive head coach in both of those situations. Um, we're not asking you to be the team leader as a young guy. Just just just to be the quarterback. Just focus on that. You don't need to um be the vocal leader on the team. You can grow into that. So, I see a lot of the similarities and uh and and Drake is kind of one of those guys who's been ready for the moment.

And uh I thought this was always a a win, not an if with Drake May. I want to end it with this. I it's important. Fernando Mendoza, I don't know what his comp is, but there was something about his his gratitude and his humility. He's obviously a plus-size. He uh I watched him at Penn State, Miami game, Iowa game in big moments. He really leaned in, you know, he wasn't overwhelmed in big moments, pressure, big throws. Um, what what I I'm interested in your evaluation. You probably haven't gone a mile deep yet, but what when you look at Fernando Menosza, do you see another quarterback or do you just see a talented kid?

No, I I think he's a franchise guy. I think he's going to have a lot of success early, too. I'm not comparing these guys because somebody might hear this and go like, oh, you know, whatever they think. really Alex Smith um I don't know what Alex Smith's 40 time was but I know he could run and he would take advantage of whatever was there in front of him. Uh high processor those things. So I I don't like comp so that's not a comp, but it's in terms of the mobility I think it is and you know Alex Smith was the number one pick in the draft.

Um, but I think, you know, I've been around Fern Fernando a lot and and really the early days of Cal and a lot of times he had to run around and and make plays for that offense to be able to to win. And he had a couple of big wins. I remember specifically almost beating Florida State. And he had like some bad calls, I think, and maybe a drop, but he made they lost the game at Florida State, Cal at Florida State. He lost that game but made like four or five plays at the end where like he made the play something else happened but I could see a lot of this uh at Cal with him and then this is just right place right time one of the better stories ever in college football. Um but I I don't I don't know what his numbers are and all that but the percentage of times that he made the clutch play when it was needed is really really high. Uh, and then just if you if you look at his interviews, you know, the internet and

the comment section has a lot of different opinions on it. But like I've told him, like I've told his dad and and and the thing that should cannot change about him is this guy is so pure. He is just so who he is and so comfortable in who he is. And we've talked on and off camera about this over the years, Colin. I I mean, a lot of these guys are chameleons and they try and fit into the situation that they're in and I never see that work. Um, I think this guy is perfect for what they're trying to do uh in Vegas and whatever role Brady plays in that, this is the perfect kind of quarterback uh to have kind of under the the watchful eye of Tom Brady.

The founder of Quarterback Summit, also the founder of Thread Performance, a nutrition company that exists to help young athletes fulfill their physical and mental potential both on and off the field. Uh, gives us insight. Sam Darnold, I think you said red hair, buck teeth. It worked out well for Sam Darnold. Jordan, as always, great seeing you.

Yeah, thanks for having me. You bet. Um, yeah, that's interesting about the chameleon part. There is uh, you know, you notice this that Jordan went back early days Mendoza, early days Drake May, early days Sam Darnold, that Jordan sees these guys and hears about them when they're 13, 14 years old. And I mean, I think that's that's I mean, like, as parents, you know, you're you're there to support your kid, but by and large, the great ones 12, 13 years old, 14 years old, you can see it. You can see it at a camp. You can see it somewhere around other kids.

That's early. 13, 14. Well, that's when he saw Sam Darnold go. You know, you don't expect them to continue on that track. A lot of the young prodigies go sideways as we've seen throughout the years basketball. I don't think Darnell was a prodigy or Drake May, but Josh Macau's like, I got this 16-year-old kid

before any of us had heard about it. He's like, this this sophomore in high school, keep your eye on this kid.

And you're right, a lot of them, most of them don't work. The fivear kids, it's tough to handle that, man. Yeah,

the pressure. Joel Lombardi couldn't, you know, you just got Stop it. It is obviously the first Super Bowl for not only Sam Darnold but Drake May and I had Tom Brady on for about 25 minutes and one of the things I asked him is, you know, it's one thing Tom when you've been to your second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth Super Bowl, but a lot of quarterbacks that get there don't get back. Is there a danger in overpreparing analysis by paralysis for a young quarterback getting to his first Super Bowl? the more you were to give me, the more I could handle. I love that part of the preparation. You know, I will say some players don't do great with that. I think a guy like Ray Lewis, a guy like Ed Reid, they wanted as much information as they could get. That would be their way of preparing and feeling like I have all the answers to the test now. I get to go out there and play very freely.

So, could there be a danger in overpreparing? Maybe overthinking, but not overpreparing. Yeah, I mean I I it's interesting kind of the narrative out there. This isn't a great Super Bowl. And I honestly think it's the same team. Seattle is a better version of New England. They're both athletic big quarterbacks that move well. One's got a little more experience. Both offensive lines are kind of the weakness of the team. I think Seattle's is a little bit le better better especially on the left side. Both defenses are excellent. I would say uh both secondaries outstanding. Two defensive coaches both blew out nine teams. I think Seattle is a slightly better version of New England. So I think it's a great matchup and there's a reason they're a four four and a half potentially five-point favorite. But weakness, strength, coaches, quarterbacks, it's I I feel like strong run games with both.

I I think it I think it's a great matchup. I think Seattle's just a slightly better version of New England and LA. It's the herd. Cam Hayward, fourtime Pro Bowl defensive tackle. One of the really smart guys in the NFL will be joining us next hour. Jac with the news.

No, NO, NO. TURN ON THE NEWS. THIS is the herd line news. Let's start with the LA Rams offensive coordinator. It's an open spot. It's a really good job. Obviously, working under the McVey tree sets you up for success. Mike Laflur has moved on to the Cardinals. Um, one of the big names is someone we'll get to in a second, but um, here's what McVey said about an internal candidate.

I did think that this was something that could occur, you know. So, we've got great candidates in house. Um, you know, you obviously just based on the rules and I think what is the appropriate thing? You know, you going to do an extensive search to really just dive into, you know, what's going to be the best way to bring in new people and we've had a lot of reps at it for a lot of the right reasons. Um, but I am excited about diving in and it never fails. Every time me and my wife go on vacation, somebody's usually getting a head job and then uh I'm spending too much time on my phone.

Yes, you and I know the feeling anytime you're on vacation. Well, now people will say, Colin, you don't like in-house candidates. I don't mind them when the offensive coach is the offense. Yeah.

Like if Shanahan loses a coordinator and goes in house or, you know, Kevin O'Connell, Dan Campbell, not a scheme guy, needs to get the best replacement for Ben Johnson. There are offensive guys in this league I don't worry too much about.

Look at this coaching tree on the screen. This is ridiculous. Working under McVey, Zack Taylor, who's with the Bengals, we don't think he's great, but whatever. Uh Liam Cohen gets to the playoffs in year one in Jacksonville. Kevin Oonnell, one of the sharp young minds. And of course, Matt Laflur in Green Bay.

Liam Cohen gets overlooked. Look what Liam Cohen did in a year. They won 13 games.

Not only that, but Trevor Lawrence, people were out on him. He's like an MVP candidate.

Yeah. I mean, it's it's like Liam Cohen gets lost cuz Jacksonville, you know, it's that it's that college country. Jacksonville was a mess. I mean, I love Trevor Lawrence. I was kind of done.

I was not. You sell stock too early. You You love to bail. I'm a day trader. Yeah, basically. Um the guy to watch here is Nate Sheiel House. He interviewed with the Browns and a bunch of other jobs. Um he seems like the odds on favorite to to be the next OC with the Rams. Uh all right, let's move on to Oh, this is spicy. We haven't talked about your guy Aaron Rogers lately. Always something with Aaron Rogers. All right, so u Mike McCarthy gets the job in Pittsburgh. He's installing his new staff and he's expected to bring on a gentleman by the name of Frank Signetti Jr.

Frankurt Signetti as an offensive adviser, Kurt Signetti's brother. Okay. Um, here's the interesting thing. Okay. Frank has a negative history with Aaron Rogers dating back to their time with McCarthy in Green Bay. According to a report, Rogers in 2018 was upset that the Packers did not renew Alex Vanpelt as the quarterback coach and they went with Signetti.

Yes. Rogers was allegedly so ticked off he refused to speak to Signetti and the two had to communicate through backup quarterback Tim Doyle. I know you love Rogers.

I know some level of petty to not talk to your quarterback coach. Listen, we we all know the game with Aaron. Like it's it's no it's it's a I mean we just know. I mean I I know two guys in the Packer locker room that played with Aaron and they both have said the basically the same thing. Aaron depends on the day. Sometimes good Aaron, sometimes moody Aaron. It is what it is.

That's not a guy that, by the way, we haven't even talked about this. Rogers is probably done, right? There was no victory tour. No, like, hey, here's a rocking chair present. Or is that just an NBA thing? But like, I mean,

ask yourself this. Do you think Mike McCarthy knows about Aaron and Frank Signetti?

Of course. Well, then why would he hire him? Yeah. I think Will Howard's going to be their guy. You and I would agree.

Yes. I mean, I think the hiring tells you that Mike McCarthy, this is a very intentional hire by Mike McCarthy.

So, uh, you know, there's a big actions versus words thing. A lot of young people will learn this. They'll give you lip service and say all the right things, but the actions speak louder. Colin, they're saying we're not rebuilding. They say that in Pittsburgh. If they go with Will Howard, is that a rebuild to you? I mean, I'm going to wait to see the free agent moves, but this is a quiet rebuild in Pittsburgh. McCarthy, I'm sure, was given guarantees. Hey, take your time.

You never have more leverage. Two times a coach has leverage in the NFL after a Super Bowl and first year with a team. McCarthy has real leverage here. They are disappointed in Pittsburgh. So, Mike can can push the discomfort to a little higher degree. If Mike goes seven and 10, you lose the leverage. Mike has staff leverage here and I think what he's doing, what have his two hires been, Frank Signetti senior and the O line coach. I love that the news out of Pittsburgh is offensive improvement. So I think McCarthy is putting his stamp.

You have Listen, I don't care who you could be Brian Canal. Your first year in Tennessee, you're the guy. Everybody follows up. Everybody, you know, they follow behind you. They want to lead. They want to be behind you over the hill. So McCarthy is making his tweaks.

What's your I think this signals the end of Aaron. Yeah. By the way, Aaron Rogers, fun fact, final pass in the NFL was a pick six against the Houston Texans. Remember that in the playoff game through a pick six and then he was like, "It's over. They're down 30 to9 or whatever." And then he went to the bench. Fun way to end his career. I just had to get that in. Uh, final story. Let's go to Denver, Colin. Now, Denver Broncos obviously lost the uh AFC Championship game. This is kind of fascinating. I did not realize this. We know they moved off OC Joe Lombardi. Yeah.

Right. And they're going to promote Davis Webb to be the new offensive coordinator. Davis Webb, hot young name out there. Did you know Joe Lombardi had been with Shawn Payeyton for 15 years?

Oh, yeah. He was his guy. He was with him in New Orleans for years. 15 years. And he moved off him just to keep Davis Webb.

Well, that is stunning to me. Well, Webb is the I don't care. 15 years. say, "Listen, what do you have to stay with people? I

I I don't know what you do, but moving off just because Davis Webb is getting some nibbles out there in the market, you're going to move off your guy at 15 years. 15 years is a long time, bro. Come on."

See, I look at it the opposite. 15 years is a long time to be with Joel Lombardi.

Okay. Joel Lombardi should be, "Hey, I made a lot of money with Shawn Payeyton." You don't get You don't get that.

Just got you to an AFC Championship game. Wow. You trying to tell me something? You know, this is three years together. You know what's going on?

I was saying you you look at it like where's the loyalty? And my my take is a 15-year relationship. Coach, coordinator,

a lot of success, lots of success. Fourth down gets Oh, that I'm I'm sure Joe Lombardi had that fourth down call. Shawn Peyton, I'm sure. Just listen, Joe Lombardi is fully aware of Shawn Peyton's personality.

And I think one of his quotes was, you know, Shawn was just got into the mood. He wanted something new. And I think when you coach with Shawn Payeyton, he's very emotional and he wears his emotions, leads with his chin. And I think you just you realize that.

We shall. I'm going to monitor this next year. See how Davis Webb, the immortal Davis Webb, he had such a great NFL quarterback.

Well, you don't. We We'll see. I I don't I know nothing about the guy. We'll Well, then maybe not take shots at it.

Well, I'm not I'm just That's a reality. He did not have a great NFL career. Well, that was as a player.

Yeah. How many great players are great coaches? That's a good question. I would argue being a serviceable rotational player where you had to do all the little things right to get on the field.

Yeah. It's like in baseball, a lot of like managers are catchers. Why? They wear the gear. It's the hardest position to play. You see the entire game. You call the game. It's an intellectual position where you don't have to be the twitchiest or this or that. You basically have to be one of the smart guys playing and and dealing with the emotions of a very emotional pitcher.

Yeah. The the the backup quarterback is is going to be a good coach cuz you know what? You got to be smart and dow career backup Kevin Oonnell's a good coach.

There you go. I mean the Stars, they make a lot of money. They were grinding. They don't need to What are they returning for? They're not coaching. Why would you want to coach after you made a lot of money as a starter for 10 years?

Brutal. No. Jac with the news. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by.

The herd live. I don't want Davis Webb to think I'm out. We're This show is out here taking shots. Is that Davis Webb played and Davis Webb now getting a coaching opportunity. And I I I root for all these young like former players that coach I think is a cool thing because it's really really hard and a lot of them made money. So they don't necessarily need the job and you have to sacrifice time with your family. So like co players that go to coaching like tip of the cap like it's hard and they know how hard coaching is cuz they they're in these rooms with these coaches who have baggy eyes and put on weight and live on coffee.

Yeah. So interesting. He's been with the Broncos since 2023. He had he threw 40 NFL passes in his career. He was in the league. Third round pick. Interestingly 6'5, you know, looks the part. Um we'll see. I mean, again, I I you go to the AFC Championship. You're on the doorstep of the Super Bowl. I mean, if Bo Knicks plays in that game, Colin, they might they probably win that. They're at home.

I And then and then you move it off Lombardi. Well, I mean, wasn't it interesting when Bo Knicks was listed as out? The line shifted like way more. You know, people were always like, "Bo Nicks is, you know, maybe he's worth a couple points." The line dramatically shifted.

Yeah. Vegas told you no. Bo Nick's a good player. Solid. above solid. Gino party goes is not solid. Come on.

Okay. Cam Hayward, Jordan Palmer around the corner on a Tuesday live in Los Angeles. It's the herd. One of the things I always look at with a veteran NFL player, has he ever been a team captain? That tells you a lot about the guy. Cam Hayward has been a team captain for the Steelers for 11 years. Uh he's going to be a first ballot hall of famer, six time allpro, 15 years, same team, and he is joining us at the Super Bowl. You know, it's um I I asked you off air. I said 15 years in the league. What do you feel like when you wake up in the morning? And tell the audience what your answer was.

It feels like 15 years have passed. You know, you you have Mike Tomlin's interesting because Emanuel Sanders, I think it was was on my show a couple weeks ago and he said you can talk about the coach. He goes, "Mike Tomlin changed me the guy, like what to do with my money when I came into the league. I was kind I didn't know anything." And you had a 15-year relationship with Mike. Now, it's not all good. I mean, it can't be. There's got to be disagreements, but tell me about Mike, the guy that I don't see.

Mike is very approachable um in voicing like anything to him. He might not agree with you and he might have a different way of seeing it, but he makes himself available to discuss your problems. he's able to, you know, uh, cut past a lot of the crap and say like, "Yeah, that's great, but we're going to go in a different direction or this is what we have to do forward. Have to put the team first." Um, the one thing I loved about Mike was just his honesty to the game. Um, understanding that there are no shortcuts in our league, uh, and preparing the right way.

Yeah. You know, it's interesting. I've seen him on two interviews since he coached the Steelers and he's so happy and funny and I'm like the the NFL has a way of making people, you know, I mean, you watch Bellich when he left New England, I watched him on ESPN. He's cracking jokes. He's having a good time. There there is an argument and I and I said this, I can think Mike's a Hall of Famer, but I do think coaches have a lifespan in in a in a room. Is there not an argument like listen when you spend that much time with one team? Maybe it was better for Mike to take a deep breath and some time off. Is that fair?

Well, it's definitely fair. I think the first part of what you said, he's definitely got the glow of going into an off season not having the pressure and the weight of having a team to prepare for. Uh, but he also gets to, you know, spend some time with his family. Um, I think I was just texting woman this morning, uh, talking about his daughter killing it at Georgia in gymnastics. Uh, but there, as much as there there can't be a long shelf life, I don't think we provide coaches enough time to actually find out if they were a good coach or not. There's a lot of hit or miss and, you know, after a year or two, it's, hey, we got to bounce you because we we really want to try out something new. um what Mike has been able to accomplish. I know he only has one Super Bowl, but it's a lot more than what any other coach can say. Um and he's the cream of the crop. I think every year you're always going to wonder is Mike Tomlin

coming out of retirement because he was just that good of a coach. So Seattle, New England, rare position. Um you guys really beat up Drake May. You had multiple sacks. He really struggled. Probably his worst game. Seattle came out in the second half and took it to you. So, there's a lot of similarities between the two. I think the weakness of both the Seahawks Patriots, probably the O line is not great. Um, and I do think both are young, good, mobile quarterbacks, defensive coaches. There's talent all over the field, especially on the defensive side. Um, let let's first talk about Seattle. When you guys played them, it it was kind of an eyeopening result. We all kind of went, "Oh, oh, wait a minute. This Darnold thing may work." when when that game was over, what was your interpretation of Seattle?

I I thought they played through emotions. Um, you know, they can actually bounce back from situations that were a little bit catastrophic in our game early uh and then really capitalized on us in the second half. I know we had a big turnover uh at half in our game, but uh you know, they were able to, you know, keep drives alive even when I think we had a a big play. I think I tipped the ball and then Nick Herbick picked it off. They were able to bounce back from that and you know their defense is really good. You got Leonard Williams, you got Byron Young up front.

Uh and if they have a good game, usually they're winning the game. Now New England was different. They had a lot of new faces, free agents, five rookies playing, and to be honest with you, it it unraveled. It it felt like they got a little I mean, that's what my interpretation watching it was. Cam, you got into their head. you kind of intimidated him. You you made Drake May play faster than he was comfortable playing. So, I imagine you came out of that game and you're are you surprised today they're in the Super Bowl.

I I think it's indicative that you talk about how they started and then where they finished because when they first got into the league this year, there were a lot of questions about Drake May and you just watched their team battle back and become just a better unit on both sides of the ball. You got Milton Williams and you've got Christian Barmore who dealt with a lot of injuries last year. Yeah. But then this year just just a different player and I think having those two stalwarts on the Dline are great, but Drake May is playing another level. When we played him the first time, our big thing was we got to get turnovers from Drake May and their running backs and they've really stabilized that in having Trayvon as a running back and Drake May throwing the ball downfield.

Yeah. So Mike McCarthy is the new head coach. I had said on the air, I think he's the offensive Mike Tomlin. And immediately he's already made upgrades to the staff, or at least upgrades in his opinion to the staff. And I and I' and I've criticized Pittsburgh through the years. I've said, listen, the rules now favor offense that you got to be able to consistently run the ball. That's the reality of this league. And Pittsburgh for seven years has struggled to identify a consistent run game. That's not a criticism. That's data. I do think Mike makes you a little more current offensively. What are your expectations?

I think you look at what our offense was this year and you said you have a one one two punch in the running game between Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren. They've done a really good job and I thought it was a step up from last year. I look for that offense to just keep growing. You look for Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gwell to have more touches. Uh, and you look for DK Metaf to have uh a lot more in his route tree. Um, a lot more favorable matchups where he's not just stuck on a number one uh corner. Uh, let's mix it around. Let's give him the ball in space because when he has the ball in space, if you look at that Ireland game where they have the clip of Aaron throwing DK the ball, one of the prettiest balls you ever see, and him taking it 80 yards, that's that's what you want DK doing. Were you um Aaron's an American iconic star?

Pittsburgh is a hardworking nononsense town. He appeared to really enjoy Pittsburgh. Like from the outside, I'm like, "Oh, Aaron fits here." Fight. I didn't know if he would. Take me through the year um of Aaron in Pittsburgh and just the camaraderie, the locker room, the trips. How was it for you?

The camaraderie, uh the accountability, um and just the playmaking. He he's special. Uh and I don't think you get enough he gets enough credit as a teammate. Uh the way he prepares the way uh the group kind of rallies around him. We have a lot more fun with him that I can't talk about on air, but he is a great guy for the locker room. U he's also a big Nickelback fan. Shout out Aaron. No, I'm just kidding. He hates Nickelback. Uh

I know. I know. we but you know throughout the year I thought he was always locked in giving us a best chance to go forward. Um and that's what you want from your quarterback.

You could call it a career and you're a Hall of Famer. Um what drives you at this point?

Uh one I think is trying to win a Super Bowl. Uh having the opportunity to compete. U you know that's why you play this game. Uh, two, I think it's just installing my legacy further. I feel like I still have more work to do uh on the field, off the field. Um, and then, you know, continue to teach the younger guys, continue to learn from them and continue to just keep growing.

You are working with the uh American Cancer Society. You've always been a charitable guy. Tell me about it.

Yeah. uh had a chance to, you know, come on and be um a co- captain again with uh um the American Cancer Society. Uh you know, cancer uh is pretty prevalent in my family uh with my dad uh suffering from a brain tumor and I've just been very close because I've had grandparents um or you know, aunts and uncles that have done with breast cancer as well. Uh, and so being able to spearhead and, you know, find other ways where we get other people to donate and, you know, find a good charge to be able to save a lot of people's lives, uh, and help a lot of people along the way.

Cam, you're a credit to the game and I appreciate you stopping by the herd. Thank you for having me.

You bet. A great great player. I mean, when you're when you're a captain 11 times in your career, that really speaks volumes of you uh, as a guy. Jack with the news. NO, NO, NO.

TURN ON THE NEWS. THIS is the Herdline news. All right, let's continue Super Bowl coverage talking about Mike McDonald served under uh John Harbaugh in Baltimore. And McDonald talked about how Harbaugh had an impact on him as a head coach.

I don't think it's possible to overstate his influ influence on me. Uh I love John Harbaugh. He's a um he's my one of my biggest mentors. all those principles that are part of his program that he's about as a person uh resonated with me and uh those are a lot of the foundational principles that we that we brought to Seattle and um he's also he's a great friend. He's got great family. So I can't tell you how much I love him.

Boy, McDonald has been a hit, hasn't he? Yeah. I mean, he took that defense from Pete, moved it up about 10 spots, and then he moved it up to number one or two in the league. And when you get a really good defensive coach, like obviously Mike McDaniel goes to Miami and they got all sorts of motion and different sets. You can see it like defensively it's harder to see, oh that that that coach has principles.

But when you watch how hard Seattle plays, that's the first thing I look at. They play hard. The second thing is they don't give up cheap touchdowns. That was always the great strength of Bellich to score on New England. You had to drive the ball. They didn't give up freebies. They didn't miss assignments. Seattle doesn't miss a lot of assignments.

Excellent team. He's had a great two-year run. Look on the screen there. Uh 24 wins over the last two seasons only behind McDermott and Serriani. Like that's that's pretty impressive for McDonald. I am curious. It's tough to ask this Colin. Do you think there's a lot of wiggle room here for them to keep going and improve and be a 12 to 13 14 win team? Remember they lose their OC Kubak. He's going to go coach. Well, I think where they're at, you know, Plateau gets kind of a bad rep. I think Seattle is going to be a doubledigit win team if John Snyder, Mike McDonald, and Sam Darnold are together.

I think they're a double, but you and I know San Francisco and the Rams are a handful. So, Darnold gets banged up and misses a month. So, a lot of it comes down to are is the quarterback Charles Cross the left tackle? Gray Zables, the left side of the offensive line healthy.

So, they are really deep. They have no real holes. Their O line gets a bad rap. The left side of it is pretty good to me. So, I I I don't know. I I look at them. That's the thing I I feel like with Minnesota firing their GM, it's not just that Sam was good this year, you can see the runway for Seattle and you're like, "Oh, this is going to be a topic for two, three years now. We don't know beyond that." But Darnold's got two more years left on his deal and the cap hit remains incredibly Seahawk friendly.

So, and John Snyder again now. But what's interesting, Jason, now you're drafting at the end of rounds.

Yeah, that's a hard Go ask Kansas City and Buffalo. It gets real lean. A year ago though, we were saying Eagles. Oh my gosh. Best roster in the league. They won with defense.

We didn't like their coach though. Well, that's the thing. Um, we'll see what who they replace. Kubak with offensively after the Super Bowl. That'll be interesting because Darnold has had a pretty damn good year.

And that's a good job now. Yes, that's a really good job. All right, let's move on to the NBA. Colin, trade deadline is Thursday at 3:00. How about this? Reports indicate that the Clippers and Cavaliers are working toward a deal centering around James Harden and Darius Garland. Now, uh I wish you could channel the energy you had when I asked you about James Harden off air. Um

I'd love to see him go to Cleveland. Yeah. So he's 36 years old. Garland is only 26. It on the surface it feels like a weird swap. Cleveland clearly is in the luxury tax and they're not like a top three team in the East. So they don't really want to pay it. So I think they're looking to lessen the tax burden. But let's be real, James Harden is a Hall of Famer, one of the great scorers. Not a winning player. Everybody kept get I mean Daryl my just kept giving him guys and different coaches and different teammates.

To the superstar warriors with Durant and Curry. They're not. They gave him Westbrook in Houston and they give him Chris Paul and they gave him I mean this guy got more great teammates and solid coaches and everybody else is to blame.

So what do you say? You're not not hard enough? No, I mean he'll make the Hall of Fame, but there's a lot of guys in the hall that aren't winning players.

This guy led the league in scoring multiple years. How about what did he do on the defensive end?

He was basically Michael Jordan before Michael Jordan got Phil Collins. Uh not Phil Collins.

No, he wasn't. Phil Jackson. Michael Jordan was about winning. Michael Jordan was a great

Not early. Not early. Well, he was a great defensive player. He was Harden does not play much defense.

He James Harden is known for a step back and nightclubs. Am I wrong? Cold blooded.

Am I wrong? You're not wrong. Final story, Colin. How about this? This just happened within the last 30 minutes. Big trade in the NBA. The Memphis Grizzlies, who have been trying to move John Morant, instead move Jiren Jackson, their other best player, in a massive trade. He goes to the Utah Jazz. The Jazz, I guess, with Dwayne Wade and company are ready to finally try to compete. The Jazz now have Jiren Jackson. Um, they've got Lorie Markin. Now, I thought they would be trying to lose

Kee George, a promising young player, and Walker Kesler. They're going to be a good defensive team. They're going to be huge on the front line.

Yep. The problem, and this is what's so tough, the West is loaded. So, even with this Utah changes, are they a top six team in the West? Well, I I I don't know. I'm hearing this for the first time, but Jiren Jackson's a good player.

He's very good. Very good player. So, now Utah's four very good players, right?

That feels like a playoff team. Yeah. Lakers are going to have to do something because uh I think the Lakers are not doing anything.

Utah is better. They have more better players than the Lakers right now. They do.

Yeah. They're high-end like Luca's better than everybody. And their best players occasionally like to defend too. So, this this Jazz team could be a problem. I don't know about this year. Um, Memphis got three first round picks and players, including W.

Yeah, but that's because Utah doesn't need those picks now, right? And these picks are going to be

Utah's got four really good players. Yeah. NBA's getting it. And this is what I love. Everybody says, "Oh, well, um, these trades that they're talking about, Giannis, and these certain teams, it never works like this." This trade, by the way, was not speculated. Nobody had the Utah Jazz being buyers of Jiren Jackson. So all remember Damen Lillard when he was getting traded. Oh, it's the Miami Heat. Maybe Toronto. Nobody had him going to the Bucks. Giannis is going to a team that nobody's talking about.

Now Utah's not. First of all, Utah is a not a very good defensive team as I make fun of the Lakers.

They're not. But they will be with Jackson and and Kesler on the back line. Yeah, they're they're not a factor now, but they're also young. So this gives them

Yeah. Yeah. I I like how many years has Jiren Jackson been in the league? He's like 27 26 27 years old. Yeah, he's young.

They've got four guys that you you know Lori Markin has always talked about being traded, but he gives you

a strong player, man. Dude, he gives you like 20 What does he average? 23 a night. 249.

Yeah, something like that. And also, by the way, they have young Ace Bailey who's coming up through the He's got potential.

Oh, no. He's got talent. Yeah. Yeah. Give it a couple years. I like the trade for Utah. We'll see what's going on in Memphis.

Interesting. J Mack with the news. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by.

The herd lie news. Sam Darnold, the early years next.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "What makes Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold so SPECIAL | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL"?

Colin Cowherd (Host), Jordan Palmer (Guest), Cam Hayward (Guest).

What is "What makes Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold so SPECIAL | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL" about?

The discussion focuses on Sam Darnold's journey as a quarterback, highlighting his early potential recognized during high school and college, and the challenges he faced during his transition to collegiate football at USC. Insights from Jordan Palmer, who has worked with Darnold since he was 14, provide a perspective on his development and the attributes that set him apart as a player.

What is mentioned in this The Herd with Colin Cowherd episode?

25 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Sam Darnold, Jordan Palmer, NFL, Super Bowl, Drake May, Quarterback Summit. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "What makes Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold so SPECIAL | Colin Cowherd: THE HERD NFL"?

The episode runs 43 min; the transcript is about 8,410 words in 125 timestamped sections.

More from The Herd with Colin Cowherd

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated February 4, 2026.