Sam Darnold is coming off a fantastic season for the Vikings. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear, Archive)
A year ago, Sam Darnold signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings without a ton of fanfare.
This time around, Darnold was arguably the most interesting name in the entire free-agency period.
Darnold is reportedly signing a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He’s also getting a reported $55 million guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
It’s a big deal, considering last year’s deal with the Vikings was for just $10 million. Darnold cashed in after his best season, though a poor finish likely cost him some money in free agency.
It was quite a year for Darnold, even if some old questions popped up late last season.
Darnold’s profile is a difficult puzzle to figure out.
The Vikings’ final two games of last season made it cloudy. Darnold was fantastic for much of last season. He was so good, he got three fifth-place votes for NFL MVP, and it was deserved. Darnold had 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns, with a 102.9 passer rating that blew away his previous career best. The Vikings started the season 14-2.
And the majority of the conversation this offseason has centered around Darnold’s last two games. He struggled badly against the Detroit Lions in the regular season finale and again in a wild-card round loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Those final two games brought up a lot of old questions about Darnold, who was the third overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Jets but struggled with turnovers with the Jets and Carolina Panthers. He was signed by the Vikings last year but was viewed as warming the seat for 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. Darnold started all season due to a season-ending knee injury to McCarthy.
Darnold mostly played well, but erased a lot of the good vibes with those final two games.
As usual, there weren’t many good quarterback options available to teams in free agency. And there were more than a few teams looking.
Even the Vikings had a question at quarterback because McCarthy missed all of his rookie season and he’s mostly an unknown. Still, the Vikings didn’t put the franchise tag on Darnold, allowing him to at least test the open market.
The Las Vegas Raiders were a popular choice as a potential landing spot for Darnold, but they traded for Geno Smith. There were still plenty of teams that needed a quarterback including the Seattle Seahawks, who traded Smith away.
Given Darnold’s age (28 years old on June 5), his draft pedigree and the 16 excellent games to start last season, a team was bound to pay up for Darnold and hope that he could build on a career year. That team was the Seahawks, and it makes sense for everyone involved.
For Darnold, it’s a chance for him to start without worrying about someone replacing him. Had Darnold re-signed with the Vikings, there would have always been the specter of McCarthy behind him. McCarthy was the 10th pick of last year’s draft and top 10 picks rarely sit for too long.
For the Seahawks, they aimed for what they believe is more upside on a younger player, while also collecting a third-round pick for trading Smith. Smith will turn 35 years old in October, about seven years older than Darnold. There still is talent on offense even after trading DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Seattle went 10-7 last season and should believe it can compete for a playoff spot with Darnold and its current roster.
Darnold had a mostly magical season for the Vikings. Minnesota moves on to a new era with McCarthy. The Seahawks’ quarterback swap is a bit risky, considering Darnold’s poor finish, but they spent big to get the player they wanted.
