The Minnesota Vikings are trying to walk a fine line with Sam Darnold. That has left the door open for the Seattle Seahawks.
Seattle agreed to trade Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders are a popular speculative landing spot for Darnold amid influence from NFL legend Tom Brady and a coaching staff led by Pete Caroll and including Chip Kelly. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio believes Seattle would not have traded Smith without a “clear plan” to replace him,
Florio pointed to Darnold as “the most obvious candidate” after playing well against them in Week 16 of the regular season.
Reunited once again with Pete Carroll…. Geno Smith ➡️ @Raiders 🚨@rapsheet, @tompelissero, & @mikegarafolo break down the news on the Insiders. pic.twitter.com/Cx7LIK4hCJ
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 8, 2025
Florio followed up with an article saying “all signs point” to Darnold landing in Seattle.
More options mean Darnold does not have to settle for what the Vikings are offering, and he may already know what he would be leaving for.
“Darnold could be something more than the name at the top of a wish list. It’s possible a deal is already in place between the Seahawks and Darnold’s agents. (Yes, it would be tampering. No, the NFL doesn’t care 999 out of 1,000 times.),” Florio wrote on March 7. “As one source put it on Friday night, Smith wanted $40 million per year, and the Seahawks believed they could replace him for $30 million.”
Darnold, 27, completed 66.2% of his passes for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2024. Those were all career-best marks.
He also threw 12 interceptions and struggled over the final two games of the campaign, including the Vikings NFC Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. That has left opinions of him split and his future uncertain.
