The Seattle Seahawks made waves earlier this week when they traded QB Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a 3rd round draft pick. On Monday however, they wasted little time in bringing in Smith’s replacement, agreeing to a 3 year, $100.5M contract with former Vikings QB Sam Darnold.
The deal, which includes $55M in guaranteed money, reunites Darnold with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who was the 49ers passing game coordinator when Darnold was a member of the team in 2023. It also rings in a drastically new look to the Seahawks offence, who also released veteran WR Tyler Lockett, and traded WR DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.
Originally brought in as insurance for rookie QB J.J. McCarthy, Darnold was thrust into the starters role in Week 1 after the former Wolverines standout suffered a season ending meniscus injury to his right knee in the preseason opener. From there, the 27 year old would go on to post his best statistical season in the NFL for a Vikings team that nearly finished as the number 1 seed in the NFC.
Darnold would go on to post a 14-3 record across 17 starts, throwing for 4,319 yards, and 35 TDs against only 12 INTs last season. Originally taken 3rd overall by the New York Jets in the 2018 NFL Draft, Darnold bounced around to several different teams since leaving New York in 2021.
His breakout performance couldn’t have come at a better time, as he now cashes in via free agency during an offseason in which QBs were in short supply, and several franchises had a need under centre. Amongst the teams who were reportedly interested in Arnold’s services were the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, and even the Jets following news that they would not be bringing Aaron Rodgers back in 2025.
With Darnold off the board, the Jets quickly pivoted, signing QB Justin Fields to a 2 year, $40M deal. That domino falling now leaves Pittsburgh to weigh their options amongst veteran QBs Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers who has since been linked to the team following news of the Fields signing.
The Seahawks will now turn their attention to the NFL Draft where the team currently holds the 18th overall selection after posting a 10-7 record in 2024.
Photo: Tennessee Titans. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.