The Seattle Seahawks have a new starting quarterback after they agreed to a free-agent deal with Sam Darnold on Monday, and many people feel that the move does not represent an upgrade.
Darnold has agreed to a three-year deal with Seattle that is worth slightly more than $100 million. The Seahawks were viewed as the favorite to sign Darnold from the moment they traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders last week.
One report claimed the Seahawks offered Smith somewhere in the neighborhood of $80-90 million over two years prior to sending him to Las Vegas for a third-round pick. Smith never made a counteroffer, which was probably an indication that he preferred a fresh start.
Assuming the reports are accurate, Seattle saved about $5-10 million per year by signing Darnold instead of Smith. They also added a third-round pick. That did not stop many fans from joking about how Darnold and Smith are a similar level of player.
The Seahawks going from Geno Smith at $25M/year to Sam Darnold at $37M/year pic.twitter.com/STaYvOESGW
— Josh Larky (@jlarkytweets) March 10, 2025
The Seattle Seahawks going from Geno Smith to Sam Darnold pic.twitter.com/DCY0bXhNQI
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) March 10, 2025
The Seahawks going from Geno Smith to Sam Darnold pic.twitter.com/N8aXEkYp2B
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) March 10, 2025
seahawks saved all that money to throw it at sam darnold pic.twitter.com/PQDsQlhmFP
— taylor 🤔 (@yastrzemskiszn) March 10, 2025
Going from Geno to Darnold https://t.co/mOH7xSCuo5 pic.twitter.com/jBIBxcppGi
— Adam Samuels (@SamuelAdams_12) March 10, 2025
Darnold and Smith have had very similar career paths. Both were drafted by the New York Jets and had a chance to start early on, but they — like many other Jets quarterbacks in recent years — did not enjoy much success. They have since proven that they are capable of being reliable starters.
Darnold finished with 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season. He led the Vikings to a 14-3 record. Smith threw for 4,320 yards, 21 touchdowns and 15 picks while leading Seattle to a 10-7 record.
With the Seahawks having traded one of their top offensive players and turning to a new quarterback, there could definitely be some growing pains to start the 2025 season.
