The Seattle Seahawks made a franchise-altering move on Friday, with numerous reports breaking the bombshell news that the team is trading veteran quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Brock Huard: Why Seahawks swung ‘stunning’ Geno Smith trade
Now, the question becomes: Who will be Seattle’s next QB?
At the moment, the leading candidate seems to be impending free agent Sam Darnold. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported Friday that the Seahawks are targeting the 27-year-old former No. 3 overall pick, who resurrected his career with the Minnesota Vikings this past season.
Prior to 2024, Darnold was viewed as a bust. The former USC standout struggled over his first three seasons as the New York Jets’ starter and then was traded to the Carolina Panthers, where he continued to struggle the next two seasons. He then spent 2023 backing up Brock Purdy on the San Francisco 49ers. Over his first six years in the league, he went 21-35 as a starter and posted a 59.7% completion rate with 63 touchdown passes and 56 interceptions.
But this past season, Darnold experienced a career resurgence in Minnesota. Darnold was originally brought in to back up rookie No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy. But after McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus in the preseason, Darnold took over and led the Vikings to a 14-3 record while completing 66.2% of his passes for 4,319 yards, 35 TDs and 12 interceptions.
Former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus, co-host of Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, believes the Seahawks should sign Darnold when the free agency negotiating period begins on Monday. Darnold is widely considered to be the top free agent QB available, with the Vikings expected to turn back to McCarthy for 2025 and beyond.
“They’ve gotta sign Sam Darnold,” Bumpus said in a video post Friday after news of the Smith trade broke. “The Hawks have to sign Sam Darnold. … Darnold is 27 years of age. He gives you a future. You look at that one year he had with the Minnesota Vikings and you can say it was a fluke. So be it. But (new Seattle offensive coordinator) Klint Kubiak’s offense, I think that would allow Sam Darnold to flourish with the play-action, with the run game.”
Darnold thrived in offensive-minded head coach Kevin O’Connell’s system in Minnesota, where he racked up 1,474 yards on play-action passes, according to Pro Football Reference. That was second-most in the league, trailing only Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff.
Kubiak, meanwhile, runs a Shanahan-style offense that’s known for its use of play-action. During his time as the New Orleans Saints’ offensive coordinator this past season, Kubiak directed a Saints offense that ranked ninth in the league with 1,081 play-action passing yards.
There’s also already some familiarity between Darnold and Kubiak, whose paths crossed when the latter was San Francisco’s passing game coordinator in 2023.
One concern with Darnold is how his breakout 2024 campaign ended. In a Week 18 blowout loss to the Lions, he went just 18-of-41 passing for 166 yards. And the following week, in a blowout wild-card playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, he went 25 of 40 for 245 yards with one TD, an interception and a costly lost fumble that was returned for a TD.
However, as Bumpus pointed out, there simply aren’t many other free-agent QB options for the Seahawks this year. Other potential names that have floated around since Friday’s trade include Justin Fields, 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers and potentially Kirk Cousins if he’s released by the Atlanta Falcons.
Bumpus also alluded to how the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl last month without a superstar QB.
“We are now figuring out in the NFL that you just don’t need a superstar quarterback to have extreme success,” Bumpus said. “Yes, Sam Darnold did struggle the last game of the season and then the first game of the playoffs. I understand that. But if Geno Smith is no longer here, what are you going to do?”
DARNOLD TO JETTAS. VIKINGS RE-TAKE THE LEAD.
📺: #MINvsSEA on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/67RQyrb9vP
— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2024
Listen to Michael Bumpus’ full reaction in the video player in the middle of this story.
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