We do not yet know how well Sam Darnold will do as the starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks. After six rather disappointing seasons in the NFL, the quarterback was suddenly excellent for the Minnesota Vikings last year. There is no proof he can be as good in 2025.
But Seahawks general manager John Schneider is betting on that, at least for one season. Seattle signed Darnold to a three-year contract worth $100.5 million this offseason, but the deal reads more as a one-year deal for $37 million. If Darnold regresses to his pre-2024 level, he likely will not be with Seattle in 2026.
But let's think positively. Maybe Darnold figured out what he needed to do to be a good NFL QB recently, and his best seasons are ahead of the 27-year-old. He should be a good fit in new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's system, and that gives Darnold a better chance to succeed than if he had gone to one of many other teams.
NFL.com writer believes the Seahawks made a good decision to sign Sam Darnold (sort of)
Jeffri Chadiha of NFL.com thinks so, but with a caveat. In a recent ranking of the ten best moves of the 2025 offseason (so far), Seattle signing Darnold ranks sixth.
Chadiha wrote, "...history tells you Kubiak has the potential to get the best out of Darnold...However, what makes this marriage even better is the contract. Darnold agreed to a reasonable three-year deal worth $100.5 million, and there are reports that it's structured in a way that allows the Seahawks to walk without major financial consequences after a year. That's insurance in case Darnold implodes like he did in his final two starts of last season."
Basically, the signing of Darnold was great because he was cheaper and younger than Geno Smith, and Seattle would be in a great position after 2025, should Darnold play badly. He is capable of poor play, so the Seahawks were wise to prepare themselves for that. That seems weird, but it is also likely true.
One of the issues is that if Seattle partly believed that Darnold was not going to work out and the team might try to add a player who could take his place in 2026, that would need to come through the 2025 NFL draft. The quarterback class this year is weak and top-heavy. Seattle has little chance of trying to move up in the draft in order to take prospects Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders.
Seattle's next long-term quarterback would have to wait until the 2026 draft class, but then a season would have been burned by paying Darnold and then maybe having to pay him again the season after next. There is a huge risk to Darnold, but let's hope it pays off.
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