So long, Geno Smith, and hello, Sam Darnold. The Seattle Seahawks are trading out one for the other. Just days after Seattle shipped Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Seahawks are reportedly signing Darnold. To be fair, Darnold has so far only been a one-year wonder in the NFL, but he should also be a good fit in new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's system.
Is Darnold better than Smith? Maybe not. He is at least not as proven, but he is seven years younger. Seattle also is not overpaying for the quarterback as he will sign a three-year deal worth as much as $100.5 million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. That is less than Smith will get by joining the Raiders.
55 million dollars of the deal is guaranteed, but again, that is not an extremely high amount either. In other words, Seattle saved money by trading Smith, and much of the cap saving by ridding themselves of Smith will be applied solely to Darnold. Seattle will be able to sign other players to help Darnold now.
Seattle Seahawks reportedly signing Sam Darnold to be QB1
Of course, fit is everything in the NFL. This is where the move makes the most sense for Seattle. In the best situation for the new quarterback, the offense will have a strong running game (at least, more balance than Seattle has had compared to previous seasons) and work play-action into the scheme quite a bit. Kubiak and Darnold should be a perfect fit.
The money spent on Darnold is surprisingly low. Sure, $33 million a season is a lot of money to most people, but in the quarterback landscape of the NFL, it's low. This is especially true for a quarterback who was quite good in 2024.
He threw 35 touchdown passes against 12 interceptions, and he had a quarterback rating of 102.5. He was pretty bad in the final two games of the year for the Minnesota Vikings, but that should not discard what he did for the rest of the season.
Now, Seattle needs to find some offensive linemen to help block better for whoever is under center and needs to find a proven receiver or two. Only having Jaxon Smith-Njigba as a productive wide receiver does not help anyone.
The move for Darnold overall is a good one, though. He will be joining a system that is a good fit for him, the team did not overpay, and his best football could be ahead of him.
Grade: A-