Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was ruled out of the season opener against the New England Patriots with a hip injury, leaving Drew Lock to take over the offense just one possession into Seattle’s Super Bowl defense.
The Seahawks have not announced a specific diagnosis beyond the hip injury, and that Darnold would not return to the game. But sports medicine doctor Jesse Morse offered his own interpretation of the play on social media, raising several potential concerns while Darnold underwent further evaluation.
Darnold was injured when former Seahawks defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones sacked him on third down during Seattle’s opening drive Wednesday night. Darnold got up and walked off the field but was noticeably hobbled. He later entered the blue medical tent before heading to the locker room. Seattle initially listed him as questionable to return before ruling him out.
Sam Darnold Injury Update: Jesse Morse Raises Concern About Seahawk QB’s Hip
Morse wrote on X that his “primary concern” was a posterior hip labral tear, with a possible fracture, after he believed Darnold’s right knee was driven into the hip socket on the sack.
Morse added that Darnold “may have also suffered a right PCL sprain in his knee.”
Those possibilities have not been confirmed by the Seahawks, and Morse was offering an outside assessment based on the mechanism shown on video rather than results from Darnold’s medical examination.
Earlier in the night, Morse had listed several potential outcomes that could fit the play, including a hip pointer, hip flexor injury, bone bruise or fracture.
For now, the only diagnosis Seattle has publicly attached to Darnold is a hip injury.
That distinction matters considering how dramatically the potential recovery time could vary depending on what additional testing shows.
Drew Lock Takes Over After Darnold Injury
Darnold’s injury came almost immediately after Seattle began its title defense.
He completed 1 of 2 passes for 13 yards before leaving, with Lock entering for Seattle’s second possession.
Lock is the Seahawks’ No. 2 quarterback, while second-year quarterback Jalen Milroe was designated the emergency third quarterback for the opener.
The circumstances put an immediate spotlight on Seattle’s quarterback depth. Darnold threw for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions during the 2025 regular season, then helped lead the Seahawks through a turnover-free postseason run and to a Super Bowl LX championship.
Seattle opened the new season against the same Patriots team it defeated in the Super Bowl, making Darnold’s exit an abrupt change to what had been a championship celebration at Lumen Field.
Seahawks Have Extra Time Before Week 2
One potential benefit for Seattle is the calendar.
Because the Seahawks opened the NFL season on Wednesday, they will not play again until Sunday, September 20, when they visit the Arizona Cardinals. That gives Darnold 10 full days between games if the injury ultimately proves manageable.
The significance of that break will depend entirely on what Seattle learns from Darnold’s imaging and follow-up evaluation.
Until the team announces those results, Morse’s comments should be viewed as possible explanations for the mechanism of the injury rather than a confirmed diagnosis.
For the Seahawks, the much more important question now is whether Wednesday night’s injury costs Darnold only the remainder of the opener, or changes their quarterback plans beyond Week 1.
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