The Seattle Seahawks are taking a lot of chances in 2025. With quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver DK Metcalf, the team knew what they would be getting as far as on-field production. That might not have equated to many playoff wins, but the team knew it would be competitive.
After trading Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle might have a better locker room, but is the team going to get to nine or 10 wins? If not, moving away from Smith and Metcalf and replacing them with Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp is going to look atrocious.
In a recent article by ESPN asking quarterback questions about every NFL team, the four-letter network's website asks the question no Seahawks fan wants to have to be asked: "What happens if the Sam Darnold resurrection isn't real?"
ESPN asks if new Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is truly fixed
There is a very good chance that it's not. Seattle's new QB1 has spent seven seasons in the league, and only one of them, which came last year, has been what many would call very good. He threw 35 touchdown passes and just 12 interceptions for the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings, though, had a fantastic receiver trio in wideouts Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, as well as tight end TJ Hockenson. Minnesota is also helmed by one of the best offensive-minded head coaches in the league in the person of Kevin O'Connell.
Was Darnold the reason for the Vikings' success, or would nearly any quarterback have succeeded with Minnesota's weapons and offensive system?
The Seahawks are going to be the ones, for better or worse, to find out the answer to that question. Seattle signed Darnold in free agency to a three-year deal worth as much as $100.5 million. There is no guaranteed money in years two and three, so if Darnold does fail, the Seahawks aren't going to be hamstrung with his contract.
Still, it would be better if Seattle gets the same quality from Darnold that the Vikings got last year. The quarterback has worked with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak once before, so there should be no communication issues, and Darnold should not have had difficulty learning the playbook.
But the Seahawks do not have the receiving talent that the Vikings had. Even if free agent acquisition Cooper Kupp stays healthy, and as good as Jaxon Smith-Njigba is, neither is Justin Jefferson. Seattle's offensive line is likely not to be better than Minnesota's was in 2024, either.
If Darnold is good, however, the Seahawks made one of the better free agent moves in the NFL.
One bit of ESPN's question is misleading, though. Dan Graziano writes, "The somewhat tepid market for Darnold in free agency indicates that there was a fair bit of skepticism around the league about the sustainability of his breakout 2024 season."
Tepid? The Seahawks and Darnold agreed to a deal on the first day of what used to be called the legal tampering period. In other words, there would have only been a few hours for Darnold to work out a deal with anyone else. There is no way to know if Darnold had a "tepid" free agent market. As quickly as he was signed by the Seahawks, that would imply Darnold's market was red hot.