The Seattle Seahawks have been a bit confounding over the past few days, even to the well-trained eyes of the top professionals in NFL media, who have admitted as much in their analysis.
Seattle traded QB Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick over the weekend. Just prior to that unexpected deal came the Seahawks' decision to release long-time wide receiver Tyler Lockett. Just after the Smith trade, Seattle doubled-down by flipping DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a second-rounder and a Day 3 pick swap.
All of that is making a pretty clear statement for the 10-7 franchise that has the worst first-round draft position (No. 18 overall) of every team that failed to make the playoffs following the 2024 campaign -- Seattle is cleaning house in preparation for a rebuild.
Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. Steven Bisig-Imagn Images Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
However, Dianna Russini of The Athletic and Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports -- among others -- reported over the weekend that the Seahawks are the favorites to sign Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold, and that Darnold harbors mutual interest.
Darnold isn't exactly a world-beater, though he is considered by most as the best free agent QB available at just 27 years old and coming off of a career year that included 4,300 passing yards and 35 touchdowns.
Darnold is looking for a multiyear contract and projects in the range of $40 million annually, which isn't the kind of agreement rebuilding teams tend to offer uncertain bets under center with only one strong campaign on their seven-year NFL resumés.
Considering the Seahawks' mixed signals and the resulting confusion, ESPN's Bill Barnwell on Monday suggested links to some of the second-tier QB prospects in a weak 2025 draft class at the position as a way to potentially make sense of what Seattle is doing with its offseason.
"There will be candidates such as Jaxson Dart and Jalen Milroe they can take as projects in the second or third round, but is [Seahawks GM John] Schneider really confident enough in any of the draft's non-Cam Ward quarterbacks to tie Seattle's future to one of them?" Barnwell wrote.
No one will know the answer to that question for certain until the draft rolls around in late April. However, if Seattle does ink Darnold to a big deal in the coming days, that doesn't necessarily preclude the team from taking a swing at a potential franchise QB like Dart or Milroe on Day 2 of the draft proceedings.
Related: Pro Bowl QB Has 'Mutual Interest' in Joining Seahawks After Geno Smith Trade
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This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 6:27 AM.