The Seattle Seahawks shocked the NFL world when they traded Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick. This left a massive hole in the Seahawks’ quarterback plans, but they have since rectified that.
Read more: Raiders Reportedly Land QB Geno Smith From Seahawks in Massive Trade
Seattle has landed arguably the biggest free agent available, as the team is set to land former Minnesota Vikings signal-caller Sam Darnold on a three-year, $110.5 million deal. There was belief that Darnold was going to remain in the NFC North, but that is not the case.
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Darnold experienced a massive career rebound in 2024, as he posted career-best numbers with 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and a 66.2 passer rating.
Darnold was looked at as being a journeyman quarterback after he had stints with the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, and the Vikings. Despite moving around, he won the starting job in Minnesota, and put together a huge season.
The rebound made things difficult for the Vikings, as they still have J.J. McCarthy waiting to start. The rookie quarterback suffered a torn ACL in preseason and was ruled out for all of 2024.
McCarthy was not going to start in 2024, but he did lose some valuable snaps in what could have been garbage time play. Still, the Michigan product was set to be the Vikings starter moving forward.
With the Vikings moving on from Darnold, it is glaringly clear they are ready for McCarthy to be their franchise quarterback moving forward. The team is also likely to sign another veteran to back up McCarthy, and there are a few to choose from.
Gardner Minshew, Russell Wilson, and Justin Fields are all available, though Wilson and Fields might be starters on their respective team elsewhere. Jimmy Garoppolo, Joshua Dobbs, and Marcus Mariota are also options to look at.
Either way, Darnold is now going to be leading the Seahawks in the NFC West. Seattle does have some work to do to bring in some weapons for Darnold, as the team released Tyler Lockett and is set to trade DK Metcalf.
Another issue is the offensive line. If the Seahawks want to protect Darnold, they need to boost the line and bring in some talented receivers that can create separation.
For now, the Seahawks landed the biggest free agent next to Cincinnati Bengals’ Tee Higgins. Darnold brings a wealth of veteran leadership and an arm that could lead to some big wins in 2025.
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