First Preseason Start 'A Dream Come True' For Seahawks Rookie QB Jalen Milroe Despite Loss

Jalen Milroe started and played the entire game in the Seahawks preseason finale, a great learning experience for the rookie despite the loss to the Packers.

Aug 23, 2025 at 07:41 PM

John Boyle

Seahawks.com Senior Reporter

GREEN BAY, Wis.—Jalen Milroe's first start in a Seahawks uniform wasn't perfect.

There were fumbles, missed opportunities on third and fourth down and in the red zone, and of course the final result, a 20-7 loss to the Packers in both teams' preseason finale.

But there were also plenty of positive moments for the rookie quarterback out of Alabama, and those, combined with the opportunity to start and play the whole game, and in a historic venue no less, make Saturday's game a moment to remember even if it didn't follow a perfect script.

"What a dream come true to have my first start in an NFL game, no matter where it is, to be able to do so," Milroe said. "I want to thank Coach (Mike) Macdonald, the whole staff for allowing me to take my first start. It was just a great opportunity just to be on the field, especially here in Lambeau Field. What a historic venue. So it was just a good opportunity and it was a lot of fun to be out there, to be able to compete. So now it is all about building upon today as an offense and just keep on going."

Asked what he learned from the experience of playing the full game, Milroe a third-round pick out of Alabama, said, "No matter good, bad, or ugly, keep on going. Keep fighting. Keep being starving. Have an optimistic mindset as you approach the field, despite anything. Good, bad or different you have to be the same person each and every day. You have to keep on being encouraging on the sideline. You have to keep on having that hunger mentality as you approach every single rep that you have. As a quarterback everyone looks at you, so that's important as you build upon that, each rep, no matter where you are at on the field, you just have to keep on attacking. I apply the offense to that. So now as I reflect, we can build on it. Of course we know we aren't perfect on offense. We are going to be able to build upon it and I am excited to do that."

And Milroe's ability to, as he put it, keep fighting, was on full display as he maintained a steady demeanor throughout, whether during early struggles, when he lost a fumble on a third-down sack, then lost another on a fourth-down quarterback sneak, that would have had the yards to convert had he not lost the ball fighting for extra yards, or whether he was playing well late in the game, leading an impressive touchdown drive that included 25-yard and 18-yard completions to Cody White, the latter of which was a touchdown, as well as a 15-yard run that set up the touchdown pass.

"Just keep chopping away man," Macdonald said of Milroe's game. "Keep building the foundation. He's out there, he's playing his tail off. There's things that we're going to learn from. Taking care of the football is probably the number one thing and he knows that. We'll learn from it and grow from it. It was definitely worth it to get him out there and have this experience. He's definitely going to be able to build off this in the future."

"What's great about it is he didn't flinch," Macdonald said. "He had a couple of setbacks earlier and he kept fighting. He kept working away at it. Up until the very end we had a chance to get back into the game and give ourselves a chance to win it. We're fighting an uphill battle the whole game which is not how we want to play. Sometimes things are going to go your way and you've got to fight through it."

Milroe finished the game 13 of 24 for 148 yards and a touchdown, giving him an 86.8 passer rating, and he also rushed for 31 yards on seven carries. But there were three lost fumbles, though the last one came on a snap that was off target and seemed to catch him off guard, so the fault might be shared between him and center Mason Richman on that one, as well as some third- fourth-down plays he might like another crack at.

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"All on me," Milroe said of the fumbles. "Every turnover from the quarterback position, you have to build on. You have to take care of the football. All of those are on me. I have to be better with ball security. You know it is tough when you're in the trenches. They are going to swat at the ball. Some big, strong dudes. They are heavier than me. You have to protect the ball. It happens, but that one play didn't lose the game. You have to keep on competing. You have to keep on building. That is part of the game. I am going to learn from that and grow from that."

Those turnovers did not, however, shake Milroe's confidence, as was evident in the quick, efficient touchdown drive he led in the fourth quarter.

"I am always confident," Milroe said. "I am never going to lose my confidence despite anything. Despite any disappointment during the game or anything. You have to have confidence. That is the number one thing for any player to be successful. You have to be confident. Confident in their craft. Confident in how much they put into the game. So with that you can always grow, you can always have an opportunity mindset and just keep on building. I am going to do that as much as possible as we go forward."