What addition of QB Sam Darnold means for Seahawks

After previous starting quarterback Geno Smith, 34, turned down a similar deal from the Seahawks, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Seattle quickly focused its attention on Darnold. Three days after Seattle agreed on a trade to send Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, it has its successor. 

Darnold joins a Seahawks team in flux. Last season, Seattle finished 10-7 and only missed the playoffs because of a strength-of-victory tiebreaker with the Rams. 

Under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald, the team looked promising and had a good chance to compete in a relatively weak NFC West. But this offseason the Seahawks traded four-year starter Smith to Las Vegas and star wide reciever DK Metcalf to Pittsburgh. This puts a large responsibility on their young playmakers, wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba and running back Zach Charbonnet, to help carry the new-look offense. 

On the surface, the Darnold addition looks like a win for Seattle, who can hold off a rebuild and compete for a division title in 2025, but there is trepidation when it comes to the ex-Vikings QB.

After flaming out after three years with the Jets and riding the bench with the Panthers and 49ers, Darnold found a good home with the Vikings last season. 

Under the tutelage of QB whisperer and head coach Kevin O'Connell, Darnold threw for 35 touchdowns and 4,319 yards and made the Pro Bowl team. He also meshed with superstar receiver Justin Jefferson, finished 10th in MVP voting and led the Vikings to a 14-3 record. 

That all sounds great, but the ending to Minnesota's season left many with more questions than answers about Darnold's ability to lead a team to sustained success. The Vikings lost a Week 18 matchup against the division rival Detroit Lions with the No. 1 overall seed at stake and then were trounced by the Rams in the first round. 

Darnold played poorly in both of those games, costing himself a lot of money in the process, but a fresh start in Seattle could be exactly what he and the Seahawks need.

In Seattle, Darnold is reuniting with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who the QB worked with in San Francisco. Kubiak helped turn Darnold's career around,

Seattle doesn't have the infrastructure Minnesota had last season, but Darnold could be a great succession plan for the Seahawks. There aren't many quarterbacks who played at Darnold's level last season, and if he can capture some of the that magic, Seattle could be looking at a deep playoff run in 2025.