Seahawks sign Sam Darnold: Grading Seattle's swap from Geno Smith to younger Geno Smith
Well, huh. The Seahawks swapped out one former New York Jets' castoff who had an unexpected career renaissance for another. Seattle dealt away Geno Smith for a third round pick so the Las Vegas Raiders could eventually sign him to a contract extension expected to be worth $40 to $45 million annually. Then they signed Darnold for three years and $100.5 million -- $33.5 million per year and, based on his $55 million in guarantees, a deal the team can walk away from after two seasons.
Is that a good deal? The 2024 version of Darnold suggests it could be, especially since he's nearly seven years younger than Smith and now about $10 million cheaper annually. But Smith had been very good as Seattle's starting quarterback the last three seasons, dealing with pressure to deliver accurate throws downfield and keeping the Seahawks stuck in the phantom zone between contending and rebuilding. He's had a completion percentage over expected (CPOE) of at least +2 each of the four years he's started games as a Seahawk. Darnold, on the other hand, has hit that number in only two of the last six seasons.
Additionally, Darnold was buoyed by a stellar cast of receivers in Minnesota. He got to throw to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and, once healthy, T.J. Hockenson. Now he'll have Jaxon Smith-Njigba atop his depth chart and, after trading DK Metcalf and releasing Tyler Lockett, Jake Bobo as his most productive returning WR2. Even if he plays at the same level he did in 2024 -- and, concerningly, he wrapped the season with a 53 percent completion rate and a single touchdown pass in a pair of blowout losses to end the Vikings' season -- it may not be reflected in the box score or NFC West standings.
Which may be at least partially the point in Seattle. The Seahawks are aiming for a rolling rebuild by signing Darnold akin to what the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have pulled off in recent years. But bottoming out creates an escape plan from Darnold (who can be a high-priced backup in 2026 if the right rookie comes along, then released or traded in 2027) and a chance to draft a franchise quarterback. Even if he stinks, he'll accomplish something.
From a talent standpoint alone, Seattle got worse at quarterback. It also got younger, cheaper and gleaned a third round pick in the process. If Darnold works out, the Seahawks can keep him around -- even if it lands the team back in the no-mans land of quasi-competing and nine wins per year. If not, they can aim their rebuild at a year with a better crop of quarterback talent. On its face this feels like an unnecessary lateral move. But squint hard enough and you can see Seattle putting its gears in place to create an incredible machine.
It's just that, well, that's a lot of moving parts that need to fall into place to get those gears to turn smoothly. Seattle has to make a lot of correct decisions in a row to keep from getting appreciably worse for the immediate future.
Grade: B-
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Seahawks sign Sam Darnold: Grading Seattle's swap from Geno Smith to new QB
