The Seattle Seahawks just made what might end up being the most shocking move of the NFL offseason, trading Geno Smith seemingly out of nowhere to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick.
It felt as if Smith had established himself as a clear-cut franchise quarterback in Seattle, but for whatever reason, John Schneider and Co. did not feel that way. Now, all of a sudden, the Raiders have their quarterback solution, and the Seahawks have a massive hole on their roster.
Unless they think Sam Howell is the answer (he's not), the Seahawks are going to look externally to find their next quarterback. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport has them doing just that, pegging Seattle to heavily pursue Sam Darnold. It sounds like, according to Rapoport, all Seattle would have to do to get Darnold would be to outbid the Minnesota Vikings for his services.
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: A look at how things ended with the #Seahawks and Geno Smith, why they traded him, and what their plan is now... pic.twitter.com/KPxmCVyse4
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2025
Seahawks ditching Geno Smith for Sam Darnold is a high-risk high-reward strategy
Outbidding the Vikings for Darnold shouldn't be a major concern. Yes, the Vikings have said publicly and privately that they'd like to have him back, but nothing about how they've acted this offseason so far would back up that claim. What's off about this plan is that ditching Smith for Darnold feels quite risky.
Darnold might have more potential than Smith and is seven years younger, but did we forget how his season ended? I know, Darnold was excellent for much of the 2024 campaign with the Vikings, but once pressure came his way over the final couple of weeks of his season, he completely unraveled.
On a team with a formidable offensive line that can limit pressure perhaps Darnold would make sense, but the Seahawks offensive line was a problem in 2024. Given that, Smith completing over 70 percent of his throws and having the season that he did despite being under pressure constantly was impressive. How will Darnold do in that same environment?
To be fair, the Seahawks do have $62.5 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap, so they have enough to give Darnold the monster deal he seeks and bring in an offensive lineman or two, but will that be enough? The question of how Darnold will do with Tyler Lockett released and DK Metcalf on his way out is a worthwhile one as well.
At the end of the day, while Darnold was great in 2024, that was his only successful season as a starter, and he showed a glaring red flag that can prove to be a massive issue in Seattle. On the other hand, Smith had three straight rock-solid years in Seattle and was far from the problem. This swap, if it comes to fruition, can work out, but it's a risk. The Seahawks were fine with Smith, and Darnold's floor feels a lot lower. Hopefully, if this is the direction they go in, all will work out fine.