The Seattle Seahawks somewhat surprisingly entered the NFL’s musical chairs of quarterbacks this offseason. When the music stopped, they essentially exchanged veteran Geno Smith for 2024 Pro Bowler Sam Darnold.
Smith landed with the Las Vegas Raiders via a trade. Before free agency began, pundits expected the Raiders to be a more likely landing spot for Darnold.
However, The Athletic’s Michael Silver reported Thursday that the Raiders didn’t push harder for Darnold because of minority owner and FOX Sports broadcaster Tom Brady.
“The Seahawks’ pursuit of Darnold snuck up on many NFL observers and proceeded in rapid-fire fashion. While some believed the Las Vegas Raiders would try to sign Darnold, minority owner Tom Brady — a seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback whose opinion held great sway — was not in favor of that approach, according to a source familiar with the franchise’s internal discussions,” wrote Silver.
“Meanwhile, Smith, seeking a lucrative extension from the Seahawks, reacted coldly to the team’s initial offer. The Raiders, having recently hired former Seattle coach Pete Carroll, emerged as a potential trade partner.”
The Seahawks agreed to trade Smith to the Raiders for a 2025 third-round pick on March 7. Three days later during the league’s legal tampering period, Seattle agreed to terms with Darnold on a three-year, $100.5 million deal.
Sam Darnold Facing Questions Entering First Seahawks Season
Darnold finally lived up to his first-round expectations during his seventh NFL season. With the Minnesota Vikings during 2024, Darnold completed a career-high 66.2% of his passes for 4,319 yards. He also had 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
While also leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record, Darnold earned his first Pro Bowl nomination and finished 10th in MVP voting.
The question now is can Darnold repeat that success with a new team.
Before 2024, Darnold’s best season was a 7-6 mark from 2019. Overall, he was 21-35 as a starting quarterback with a 59.7% completion percentage, 63 touchdowns and 56 interceptions in his first six seasons.
Also during that span, Darnold averaged 6.7 yards per attempt. He had 7.9 yards per pass in 2024.
Based on Silver’s report, the Seahawks appear confident Darnold can repeat his 2024 success while Brady is not. However, Seattle’s offense is also probably a better fit for the 28-year-old quarterback than Las Vegas.
“There was a higher comfort level with Darnold [than other free agent QBs] because of his familiarity with Seattle’s system: MacDonald’s newly hired offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, had been the 49ers’ passing game coordinator in 2023,” wrote Silver.
Tom Brady’s Raiders Extend Geno Smith New Contract
Brady and the Raiders opting for a cheaper option than needing to outbid other suitors for Darnold coming off a career season makes sense. But Smith actually isn’t any cheaper than Darnold.
On April 3, Las Vegas signed Smith to a two-year extension worth up to $85.5 million.
Darnold’s total contract value is higher. However, Smith received $66.5 million guaranteed in the deal while Darnold’s contract has $55 million guaranteed.
On an average annual basis, Smith will make $37.5 million while Darnold will get $33 million.
Clearly, money had little to do with Las Vegas’ decision between Smith and Darnold. The Raiders were willing to pay Smith more than what Darnold received from the Seahawks in free agency.
Smith made the Pro Bowl in 2022 and 2023 with the Seahawks. During 2024, he led the team to a 10-7 mark with new career highs of 70.4% completion percentage and 4,320 passing yards.
Last season, Smith also had 21 passing touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
Darnold turned 28 years old this month. Smith will celebrate his 35th birthday in October.
