This offseason, the Seattle Seahawks decided that Geno Smith didn't need to be the team's starting quarterback anymore. Maybe Smith requested a trade, and maybe he didn't, but general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald wanted a change.
What appears clear now is that Smith's leadership skills were lacking. He recently said that his personality didn't mesh well with Seattle, and he also had a history of fighting with teammates. 12s can attest to the QB's explosive personality on the field when mistakes were made.
Schneider and Macdonald wanted someone calmer to lead the offense, and this was a big reason that Sam Darnold was signed in free agency this offseason. Darnold might have only had one productive season in the league (out of his seven years), but he wasn't going to destroy the team from within.
Cooper Kupp has high praise for new Seattle Seahawks QB1 Sam Darnold
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, another free agent acquisition, echoed that sentiment this week when speaking with reporters. Kupp wasn't simply hopeful that Darnold was going to build off his stellar 2024 season when he was with the Minnesota Vikings; Kupp knew Darnold would work hard to do so.
Kupp said, "There’s always that desire... Like, man, if something doesn’t go right, he’s always the first guy, like, ‘Hey, let’s come over to the side, let’s get some extra reps of that.’ Or, ‘Man, I want to get another rep of that.’ He’s asking coaches, ‘Hey, I want to get extra time walking through some of these looks.’ He’s one of the last guys off the field every day at practice... So it’s very clear that Sam loves football and really cares about winning games here."
Geno Smith probably cared about winning football games, too, but how much he cared to work with teammates when things weren't going correctly in a way that wasn't volatile is in question. Smith took the blame after games because quarterbacks should (even when they aren't at fault), but inside the locker room, there appears to have been a different vibe.
Not with Sam Darnold. He is clearly liked by his teammates. That has never been an issue. The problem has been his consistent productivity.
So far in 2025, Darnold has received a high grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but his quarterback rating is just 88.8 and he has the same amount of touchdown throws as interceptions (2). He does need to play better as the season grows old.
But Geno Smith would definitely be no better. The Seattle Seahawks former quarterback not only leads the NFL in interceptions this far in 2025 with four, but he leads the league in interceptions since the beginning of 2024 with 19. Sam Darnold is simply better now.