Renton, Wash. (AP) - First, Sam Darnold hopes he is not a good golfer.

The Seattle Seahawks quarterback signed a $100.5 million three-year contract in March, saying he is a 10-man obstacle. The 27-year-old will do his best to spend his time on the course during the offseason and hopes to hike and continue trying restaurants in what he now calls home to the Seattle area.

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Oh, about that home.

"Honestly, we bought a place and have been moving in a lot of furniture," Darnold said Wednesday.

This is the focus of Darnold's offseason outside of football. With five days of organized team activities, Darnold's top priority is learning the script of first-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

Kubiak and Darnold both were with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023, but since that season in the Bay Area, Kubiak has been a pass game coordinator, while Darnold is the backup.

Kubiak served as offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints last season. Meanwhile, Darnold enjoyed his best NFL season, setting a career-high in passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentages while coaching the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 record.

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"You see the tape and the tape tells everything. He planted a lot of things," Kubiak said. “He took a chance there and ran, and he did a great job for us here.”

This compliment only exacerbates the obvious: Darnold is Seattle's starter. Coach Mike MacDonald said in an interview with Kiro-AM on Tuesday that when asked if anything else other than injury to Darnold would prevent him from starting the season opener on September 7.

“Sam is our starting quarterback,” McDonald said. "We love him. He did a great job."

Darnold said he was a fan of Jalen Milroe and other quarterbacks of Drew Lock. At the NFL draft in April, McDonald called Darnold to let him know about the team's plan to choose Miro from Alabama in the third round.

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This is respect for veteran QB, who signed a month ago.

"I think at the end of the day, communication is key," Darnold said. "But it's cool to make him call and communicate."

Darnold learned to be rattled in two large markets. He played at a college in Southern California and was selected by the New York Jets, where he was considered a bust. He moved to Carolina and San Francisco before he resurrected in Minnesota.

Now, he comes to Seattle, and is the leader and face of the franchise. Working in Kubiak's system has eased his transition, but Kubiak was quick to point out - no secrets were revealed - the Seahawks' offense would be unique.

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Darnold is seeking as much information as possible and currently, he has left the golf club.

“Learn a ton now,” Darnold said. "Just build with these guys and then once."

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