Sam Darnold plans to sign a three-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks that
includes $55m guaranteed, with the total value of the deal worth more than $110m.
The 27-year-old arrives as a replacement for Geno Smith, who was traded by the Seahawks to the Las Vegas Raiders last week.
Darnold revived his career in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings, leading them to 14 wins, but was outmatched during an important Week 18 game against the Detroit Lions and then similarly lost in a wild-card defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.
The late-season slump, combined with the return to fitness of last year’s first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, led to doubts over Darnold’s future with the Vikings – and he has now opted to move to the Seahawks.
Darnold will reunite with Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, his passing game coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers – where the quarterback served as a back-up – in 2023.
Darnold was the No 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft by the New York Jets, before going on to spend two years with the Carolina Panthers.
Darnold has a 21-35 career record, 12,064 passing yards, 63 touchdowns, 56 interceptions and a 59.7 completion percentage.
He comes to an offensive roster under head coach Mike Macdonald that is still in the works. The Seahawks released wide receiver Tyler Lockett and traded wideout DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.
