Jalen Milroe’s preseason was anything but quiet, flashes of promise, three costly fumbles, and five sacks in his finale against Green Bay sparked plenty of debate. Then came a social media post comparing the rookie’s calm demeanor to Russell Wilson’s, while subtly distancing him from Geno Smith. It was meant to be harmless. But Geno didn’t take it that way.

The former QB wrote, “Nobody like me, I’m 1 of none.” His post was in response to Brady’s Henderson’s praise of Jalen Milroe’s serene attitude after the Packers loss.

Henderson’s post read, “Jalen Milroe seems to be a lot more like Russell Wilson than Geno Smith in this sense: he doesn’t get too high or too low. Here he was talking to @johnpboyle about his first start. He said the fumbles, like any QB turnover, were on him. ‘I’ve got to be better with ball security.‘” The X post drew a direct comparison between Milroe and former Seahawks quarterback Wilson, rooted in how Milroe calmly owned his mistakes after the loss to Green Bay.

“I’m always confident, I’m never going to lose my confidence. Despite anything, despite any disappointment during a game or anything, you got to have confidence. That’s the number one thing for any player to be successful,” the rookie said postgame.

That observation, though subtle, didn’t sit well with Geno Smith, whose response felt like a public criticism of the rookie, especially considering Seattle had moved on from him. The tweet’s controversial nature became immediately apparent, prompting Smith to quickly delete it.

Earlier in March, the Seahawks traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, officially ending his time in Seattle. Sam Darnold is now leading the quarterback group, while rookie Jalen Milroe is being slowly brought into the mix. Head coach Mike Macdonald has already shown trust in Milroe, saying he’ll get first-team reps and be part of the game plan moving forward.

Mike Macdonald announces major role change for Jalen Milroe

Head Coach Mike Macdonald’s announcement on Monday caught everyone off guard. Milroe, who spent the entire pre-season behind third stringers, will get meaningful first team reps in the regular season. This decision signals a complete shift in how Seattle plans to utilize their dual threat rookie.

It’s a bold move, considering Milroe’s preseason was anything but polished. The 22-year-old showed flashes of potential but struggled in his preseason finale against Green Bay, completing 13 of 24 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown, while fumbling three times and taking five sacks.

Still, despite the uneven showing, Head Coach Mike Macdonald expressed clear trust in the rookie, laying out his strategy with refreshing honesty during Monday’s media session.“We’re going to have plays for Jalen and game plans, and he’s going to rep those of the ones,” Macdonald stated. His commitment extends beyond just practice squad work, as he emphasized the importance of proper preparation.

“However we build the package for him going into games, he needs those reps in walk-through and full speed. How we do it, who gets how many [practice] reps — obviously Sam [Darnold], it starts with how many reps he needs to get ready, and we’ll work off from there,” the coach added.

Milroe’s preseason had its ups and downs. While most of the attention came after the Green Bay game, his earlier performances against Kansas City and Las Vegas were quieter. The 22-year-old completed 9 of 15 passes for 107 yards across both games. The rookie flashed potential with a key QB sneak against Kansas City, showcasing his short-yardage value. 

There were glimpses of his talent, but also signs that he’s still adjusting to the speed and pressure of the NFL.