There was a major quarterback trade recently that sent shockwaves through the NFL, but it could clear up some other QB moves. The Seattle Seahawks had enough of Geno Smith it seems and sent him to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The dialogue around Smith is quite interesting, as some seem to think that he is a lot better than how he is commonly perceived.
However, I struggle with that, as if he was truly that good, why did the Seahawks just trade for him for the 92nd overall pick? Anyway, the trade is going to be official, and Smith is going to likely sign a contract extension with the Las Vegas Raiders and be their QB for the next 3-5 years. That does leave Seattle without a notable QB on the roster for 2025, but one option on the free agency market does make a lot of sense: Sam Darnold.
Klint Kubiak and Sam Darnold potentially reuniting in Seattle is very good from a “the QB skill set meshes well with the offense” perspective and absolutely infuriating from a “the Shanahan coaching tree legit only knows six total quarterbacks” perspective
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) March 8, 2025
Darnold and now Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak did overlap for one season when the both of them were with the San Francisco 49ers, and there is also this recent report about Darnold that is absolutely relevant:
With Geno Smith headed to the #Raiders, the fallout is dramatic:
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2025
— The #Seahawks turn their attention to Sam Darnold, which means..
— The #Vikings Darnold era is likely over as they turn their eyes to Daniel Jones, though…
— Daniel Jones has options, with Minnesota and the… https://t.co/HbpxgWyMO2
So, we have pretty much gotten 100% confirmation that Sam Darnold will not be returning to the Minnesota Vikings. That does leave the door wide open for the Seahawks to offer Darnold a healthy contract on the open market for him to be their QB for the next several years. Sam Darnold was great in 2024; he threw for 35 touchdowns against 12 interceptions for a stellar 102.5 passer rating. He also added 4,319 passing yards and went 14-3 as their starter.
While some may still be on the fence with Darnold, what he did in 2024 is miles better than anything Geno Smith has done in the NFL. Furthermore, Darnold is notably younger than Smith and may actually not cost as much as Geno Smith will. It would not surprise me to see a Darnold and Smith extension both end up around the $40 million per year mark.
And in that case, it makes all the sense in the world for Seattle to choose the younger and better player. Now yes, Sam Darnold may not lead the Seahawks to the Super Bowl, but he is an upgrade over Geno Smith. Seattle should still continue adding to their QB room once this signing (probably) happens in the coming days.