Maybe the Seattle Seahawks should have kept quarterback Geno Smith instead of trading him to the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason. Over the last three seasons, Smith proved to be a good quarterback, but one unlikely to be consistently excellent. He never had a losing record with the team.
At different points in the last three years, Smith led the NFL in completion percentage (2022), the NFC in touchdown passes (2022), and the league in game-winning drives and fourth quarter comebacks (2023). However, he wanted to be traded this offseason, and the Seahawks obliged.
Smith is now the starting quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders. This move reconnected him with former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who is now in the same position with Las Vegas.
Former Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is higher than new Seattle QB Sam Darnold in recent ranking
To replace Smith, the Seahawks signed Sam Darnold in free agency. Darnold has never led the league in anything, but his 2024 season with the Minnesota Vikings was arguably better than Smith has ever had. He threw 35 touchdowns versus 12 interceptions last year, and got a vote for league MVP.
The problem is that it was Darnold's first good season in his seven years in the NFL. There is no guarantee he can replicate that performance for the Seahawks, even though Seattle's new offensive scheme under Klint Kubiak appears to be a good fit for Darnold.
Because of the uncertainty of whether Darnold can be good again, he isn't going to do well in rankings of starting quarterbacks. Such is the case with a recent ranking by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) where Seattle's new QB1 does not appear until number 26.
The next closest quarterback to him in the NFC West is Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals, who is number 15. Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers is number 11, and Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams is number 7.
Smith is ranked 10th. That is surprisingly high for a quarterback who mightily struggled in the red zone in 2024. The quarterback had the 11th-highest interception rate (2.6) in 2024, so it's odd when PFF writes about him, "He protects the football and has a knack for generating big-time throws."
Regarding Darnold, PFF rightfully points out, "The big question for Darnold and the Seahawks is which version of the quarterback shows up in 2025... His late-season regression and playoff struggles were concerning, and he’ll be working with a less talented supporting cast in Seattle."
If it makes Seahawks fans feel better, though, former Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson doesn't show up in the ranking until one spot after Darnold. Wilson is expected to be the starter for the New York Giants this coming season.
PFF says about the 27th-ranked QB, "...he no longer has the mobility that once defined his game, and that limits his ceiling. He still grades well and posted a 79.5 overall mark in 2024, but he struggles to generate the efficiency needed to sustain a high-level offense."
