Sam Darnold succeeds Geno Smith with the Seattle Seahawks. Head Coach Mike Macdonald speaks highly of his new quarterback.

The Seattle Seahawks are facing a major upheaval after the departure of quarterback Geno Smith, who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders.

From now on, Sam Darnold will lead the “Hawks’” offense, who was signed in free agency to a three-year contract worth $100.5 million.

Head coach Mike Macdonald is getting to know his new QB1. And he likes what he’s seen so far.

“I think it’s interesting because I didn’t have a personal relationship with Sam until a few weeks ago, and so far our conversations have been great,” the 37-year-old told SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Seahawks: Darnold to lead offense upheaval

“It’s been really cool to hear from people who have had a relationship with him in his life and all the positive things they say about him. We have some of those guys, who go back to his days at USC, in our building,” Macdonald continued.

Expectations for Darnold are correspondingly high: “Most of all, I’m looking forward to the person, the leader, the teammate, the guy we’re going to work with every day. From our conversations, I think he’s in a great position. I think he’s full of energy, motivated and just like the rest of us in this building. That’s why he’ll fit in well.”

In Macdonald’s second year in office, the Seahawks offense will have a completely new look.

In addition to the quarterback change, two long-standing pillars, wide receivers Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, have left the team. New pass receivers Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling were added in the offseason, with further reinforcements possibly following in the upcoming draft.

Darnold made a late breakthrough with the Vikings

The 3rd pick in the 2018 draft could not meet the high expectations of the New York Jets at the beginning of his career. In three seasons with the “Gang Green,” the now 27-year-old recorded 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions in a 13-25 record.

The playmaker also struggled in two seasons with the Carolina Panthers before rehabilitating for a year under head coach Kyle Shanahan as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers.

What followed was the late breakthrough as a starter, which probably few had expected.

Actually coming to the Minnesota Vikings as a backup to rookie J.J. McCarthy, Darnold played better than ever after the young hopeful’s serious injury last year.

On his way to a 14-3 record, the veteran completed 4,319 passing yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and made it to the Pro Bowl for the first time.