3 free-agent quarterbacks who could replace Geno Smith for the Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are going to be a very different team this year. With the trade of Geno Smith, the Seahawks are suddenly in the market for a starting quarterback.

I'll admit, I'm shocked that the Seahawks traded Geno Smith. Even when I gave five solid reasons the Raiders would trade for Smith, I didn't believe the Seahawks would make the move. I certainly didn't expect them to trade him for a lousy third-round pick. But not everyone lost in this deal.

John Schneider and Mike Macdonald may have just been blowing smoke when they sang Geno's praises to build up his trade value. Or maybe they truly believed it but decided that Smith's price for an extension was simply too high. I think the latter is the most likely scenario. Now the concern in Seattle is, who's QB1?

Three possible replacements for Geno Smith and the Seahawks

Sam Darnold

Let's start with one of the bigger names that's been thrown around as a trade target for virtually every team. After trading Kirk Cousins to the Falcons, they drafted their quarterback of the future, J.J. McCarthy. Sam Darnold was brought in strictly as a bridge but led the Vikes to a 14-3 record. Despite that, Darnold is reportedly on the trading block. And according to Diana Russini of The Athletic, the Seahawks want Darnold.

Um, okay, but why? Why ship Smith, who reportedly wanted $40 million a year, for Darnold, who everyone expects to cash in on his surprising season. One site, profootballtalk.com, predicts he'll earn the richest deal of any free-agent quarterback.

Spotrac agrees, projecting him to get a deal worth $40 million per year. Yes, he'll be 28 when the 2025 season starts, almost seven years younger than Smith. He'll also have exactly one good season out of seven on his resume. I agree with Mina Kimes, in my mind, specifically regarding Darnold:

Justin Fields

I'll just say that I much prefer Fields to Darnold. Yes, I know the Bears gave up on him after three seasons. Chicago also thought Darrell Taylor was a legitimate edge rusher, so there ya go. Anyway, the Steelers gave up on Fields, too. His 4-2 record as a starter wasn't good enough for them, so they brought in Mr. Unlimited to lose their last five games. That's a solid move, guys. And now they don't want either of them.

I know a lot of 12s are thinking, "But Darnold's a winner!" Yeah, for one season. Admit it. You were desperate for the Seahawks to sign Jimmy G back in the day, too. Then you desperately wanted Seattle to sign Deshaun Watson. So, pardon me, but I'm not exactly going to trust your judgment.

You might be surprised that Darnold and Fields aren't that far apart in career numbers. Darnold leads in career completion percentage, 61.2 to 61.1 percent, and in touchdown percentage, 4.2 to 4.0. Fields leads in interception percentage, 2.8 to 2.9 percent, while the two are tied in career passer rating, 83.9. Oh, and Fields can run a little bit.

Darnold is no statue. He's run for 972 yards and 14 touchdowns in seven seasons, for an average of 3.5 yards per carry. Not bad, right? Fields has gone off for 2,509 yards and 19 scores in his four seasons, with a 6.0-yard average. So you have two QBs who are virtually the same through the air, but then have a huge advantage on the ground with Fields.

Remember, Darnold will be 28 when the season starts, which is much younger than Geno Smith. Fields just turned 26 this month. More importantly, he'll only be on his second contract, while Darnold will be on his fourth. Most importantly, Fields is projected by spotrac.com to get a $6.4 million deal. Hmmmm....sign a quarterback for $40 million who's a gamble, or sign a quarterback for $6 million who poses much of the same risk, but has more upside? Seems an easy choice to me.

Aaron Rodgers

Sure, maybe no one wants to hear this, but if John Schneider believes the Seahawks can still be relevant next season, then finding another veteran quarterback and not using Sam Howell is the way. Is Rodgers far past his prime? Sure, but he would only be needed as a bridge quarterback. Adding Rodgers might also entice DK Metcalf to stay.

The biggest question is what kind of impact Rodgers's attitude would have on the locker room. He certainly was a negative with the New York Jets over his two seasons. He far too often got his way, and other veterans noticed that.

If Metcalf is traded, Rodgers could potentially talk Davante Adams into coming to Seattle and pair Adams with Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That is certainly not ideal, but nothing the Seahawks are doing right now is ideal for the 2025 season.

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