Going into free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ biggest question mark was at quarterback. Initial reports made it seem like Justin Fields and Russell Wilson would be their first targets. However, they also reportedly intended to look into the other free agent signal callers. That includes Sam Darnold, who was sensational for the Minnesota Vikings last year. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like he’s going to land in Pittsburgh. He’s reportedly agreed to terms with the Seattle Seahawks, per Ian Rapoport on X.
“The Seahawks have their new QB: It’s Sam Darnold,” Rapoport wrote. “The former Vikings starter is finalizing a deal with Seattle, per The Insiders. He gets a 3-years deal worth nearly $100M, taking the place of Geno Smith. Darnold has been the favorite ever since the trade.”
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is structured a little differently.
“ESPN sources: Former Vikings QB Sam Darnold reached agreement today on a three-year, $110.5 million contract including $55 million guaranteed with the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle has its successor to Geno Smith.”
It’s possible that the base deal is Rapoport’s reported number while the incentives structure is Schefter’s reported number, but we will have to wait and see. Both numbers are slightly below what many were projecting his contract to come in at, but still an expensive deal.
Darnold was arguably the best quarterback available, but that also came with a huge price tag. That’s likely part of why the Steelers couldn’t get him to agree to a deal with them. While they have a ton of money available, investing a large chunk of that into Darnold likely wouldn’t be wise. He was amazing last year, but he probably wouldn’t be the long-term answer for the Steelers.
The Seahawks make sense as a destination, too. They traded Geno Smith, their starter, just a few days ago. That left them with a massive hole under center. They also started to seriously retool their offense, cutting wide receiver Tyler Lockett and trading DK Metcalf. Steelers fans likely aren’t too mad about that.
Even though they aren’t getting Darnold, there are still other quarterback options on the table. The Steelers could still pursue Fields or Wilson. Aaron Rodgers is still out there as well. No solution is perfect, but maybe they’ll acquire a cheaper option.
Darnold never quite seemed like a realistic option for the Steelers, either. There were reports that they were interested, but with the amount of money he was due to command, it seemed like Pittsburgh was a longshot. Darnold should have a chance to continue to show his talents in Seattle, if they can reload on weapons, that is.
The Steelers actually play the Seahawks this year, so Darnold is scheduled to come to Pittsburgh. If he suits up for that contest, Steelers fans should get a good look at what could have been. While the Seahawks seem to be entering a sort of rebuilding phase, they still have a talented roster. Darnold could still find some success there. Hopefully, that just isn’t the case when he plays the Steelers.
Recommended for you