Sam Darnold Injury Status Updated by Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald After Early Exit vs. Patriots

Sam Darnold suffered a hip injury just five snaps into the Seattle Seahawks' season opener against the New England Patriots on Wednesday, but head coach Mike Macdonald offered a positive update on Thursday.

Macdonald said on Seattle Sports 710 AM that Darnold's hip is intact and the injury appears to be muscular. He didn't offer a timetable on the quarterback, though.

"Now, how long that [he's out], we don't know yet," Macdonald said (h/t ESPN's Brady Henderson). "But really, really good news. So we're really happy for Sam. That's good. But it is painful, though. I know it hasn't been an easy night for him."

According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, tests on Darnold showed "an unusual muscle strain in his hip area" and his timetable to return is to be determined. There has been no consideration of a stint on injured reserve at this point, per Pelissero.

That said, Drew Lock is the "likely" start for a Week 2 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.

On their first drive of the season, Darnold took a sack from New England's Dre'Mont Jones on third down. He went to the medical tent and was later ruled out for the contest, being replaced by Lock.

After leaving the game, Darnold underwent a CT scan on his hip at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, but it came back inconclusive. Luckily, Macdonald told reporters after the game that Darnold had avoided a hip fracture.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Thursday that Darnold is "expected to miss next week's game, but he should be back sooner rather than later." Rapoport added that Darnold could miss "just a few weeks."

Darnold, who joined the Seahawks ahead of the 2025 campaign, had a tremendous first year in Seattle, throwing for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while completing 67.7 percent of his passes.

He led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory after throwing for 672 yards and five touchdowns in the postseason.

But after years of avoiding injury, Darnold is now seemingly set to miss at least one game and possibly more. That means Lock will continue to have to hold it down under center for the defending champs.

Lock, a career backup like Darnold once was, had a decent showing in Wednesday's game. While he didn't light up the box score, he managed the game well as neither team managed to find the end zone much.

The 29-year-old finished with 187 yards and a touchdown on 16-of-22 passing.

"You just feel the poise, the calm," Macdonald said of Lock. "He's just a confident guy, as he should be, because he's got the body of work to back it up. He's got the teammates that support him and believe in him, too."

Seattle could also have Jalen Milroe available against the Cardinals next week. The former third-round pick in 2025 was listed as the team's emergency third-string quarterback on Wednesday, so he could only come in if Lock were injured.