The Seattle Seahawks made sweeping changes to the offense this offseason. Klint Kubiak is the new coordinator. Geno Smith and DK Metcalf are out. Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp are in. Things will look far different. The question is, with Mike Macdonald entering his second campaign as head coach, will things look better?
It starts, of course, with Darnold. The former No. 3 pick inked a three-year, $100 million contract with Seattle, parlaying last season's success in Minnesota into a hefty investment from the Seahawks brass. Darnold threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns with the Vikings, looking the part of a franchise quarterback after years of spinning his wheels as a backup or fringe starter.
The Seahawks clearly believe in Darnold. NFL legend and arguable GOAT Tom Brady? Not so much.
Apparently the seven-time Super Bowl champ and current minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders was not in favor of bringing Darnold to Sin City. So, the Raiders went out and dealt for Geno Smith instead, leaving the Seahawks with a QB void to fill and Darnold with a home in free agency.
Tom Brady's Sam Darnold skepticism set offseason plans in motion for Seahawks and Raiders
According to The Athletic's Michael Silver, Brady did not want the Raiders to shell out money for Darnold in free agency.
"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," he wrote.
We knew Brady was more or less in change of the Las Vegas quarterback search. And to be frank, him picking Geno Smith over Sam Darnold was smart GMing, even if he's not really the GM. Smith is older, so the window is shorter, but you can argue he has been overperforming under subpar circumstances in Seattle. Smith was efficient and productive last season despite facing a lot of pressure in the pocket. Give him a real O-line and a few dynamic playmakers, like Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty, and the wins should come accordingly.
That said, it's notable when we get a report — in such strong terms — that the greatest QB of all time was against a specific option. Darnold enjoyed tremendous success in Minnesota, making his first Pro Bowl appearance after leading the Vikings to 14 regular season wins. On the other hand, Darnold struggled late and laid an egg in Minnesota's first-round loss to the Rams. He took nine sacks and threw for a single touchdown in the 27-9 beatdown.
Can Sam Darnold repeat last season's success in Seattle?
For all his talent, Darnold has one (1) above-average NFL season under his belt, and it occurred in the absolute perfect setting. The Vikings are loaded top to bottom offensively, with a genius-level playcaller in Kevin O'Connell. It's fair to wonder if Darnold can replicate that success under more strenous circumstances, with less help.
Seattle has done a good job fashioning the roster around Darnold's strengths and weaknesses, but the Seahawks just aren't as robustly talented as the 2024 Vikings. Kupp is a tremendous wide receiver — a former Super Bowl MVP — but he's aging out of his prime and it's unclear if he can withstand the rigors of the high target share he once received as part of the Rams. Darnold is also more of a big-play threat, whereas Seattle's WR room is built to dominante in the intermediate game.
Time will tell if Brady was on to something. If Darnold repeats as one of the NFL's most productive arms, the Raiders may regret passing on a prime-aged quarterback on a below-market contract. If Darnold regresses and Las Vegas takes a step forward under the steady hand of Geno Smith, however, folks will be a lot more confident in Brady's organizational influence moving forward.