And there it is. After a fascinating two-month period since the Vikings were eliminated from the playoffs in a wild-card upset by the Rams, Sam Darnold's future has finally been settled.
Darnold is leaving Minnesota, which became a known last week when the team did not use the franchise tag to keep him for one season, and did not engage in negotiations on a new deal. The Vikings, despite public declarations of their intention to keep Darnold, were never serious about keeping him, after all.
That's somewhat of a surprise for a quarterback who seemed to have done enough to secure a long-term place in Minnesota. He led the Vikings to a 14-3 record in 2024, throwing for 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, plus a quarterback rating of 102.5. Those were all career highs.
But a Week 18 flop against the Lions (with the NFC North crown on the line) coupled with the early exit at the hands of the Rams threw Darnold's status well into doubt. It was not until last Friday's surprise trade of Geno Smith from the Seahawks to the Raiders that it became clear how this would play out for Darnold.
He's heading to Seattle to replace Smith.
The NFL lodged the announcement on Monday afternoon.
BREAKING: Seahawks, QB Sam Darnold finalizing 3-year deal worth nearly $100M. (via @rapsheet, @tompelissero, @mikegarafolo) pic.twitter.com/TL9SMVAAIg
— NFL (@NFL) March 10, 2025
"BREAKING: Seahawks, QB Sam Darnold finalizing 3-year deal worth nearly $100M," the NFL posted to its Twitter/X account.
Later reports confirmed that the deal is for $37.5 million in 2025, and is for $55 million guaranteed, meaning the Seahawks can wriggle out of the contract if Darnold flops.
Related: Steelers Making Free-Agent Offer to Sam Darnold: Report
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This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 2:45 PM.