Darnold to Seahawks on $100.5M Deal – The Seattle Seahawks shocked the NFL world to its core when they traded veteran Geno Smith, who had been a member of their organization for six years, to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round pick. This left a gaping hole the size of Mount Everest in the Seahawks’ quarterback plans, but they have since cleaned that up.
Seattle has landed arguably the top free agent on the board as the team is set to acquire former Minnesota Vikings signal-caller Sam Darnold on a three-year, $100.5 million deal, $55 million guaranteed. There were strong thoughts that Darnold was going to remain in the NFC North Division, but that is not the case.
Darnold went through an altering career rebirth in 2024, as he posted career-high numbers with 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and a 66.2 passer rating.
Darnold had the reputation of being a bust after he had failed stops with the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, and San Francisco 49ers. Despite being a nomad, he won the starting job in Minnesota after rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy got hurt with a torn ACL in preseason and was ruled out for all of 2024. Darnold put together a memorable regular season.
McCarthy was not going to start in 2024, but he did lose some valuable reps in what could have been mop up duty. Still, the Michigan product was set to be the Vikings starter moving forward.
With the Vikings moving on from Darnold, it is obvious they are ready for a new era led by McCarthy to be their franchise quarterback moving forward. The team is also likely to sign another veteran to back up McCarthy, and there are several to choose from.
Embed from Getty ImagesGardner Minshew and Russell Wilson are both available, though Wilson might be a starter on another team elsewhere. Joshua Dobbs and Marcus Mariota are also options to look at.
Either way, Darnold is now going to be leading the Seahawks in the NFC West. Seattle does have some work to do to bring in some weapons for Darnold, as the team released ten-year veteran Tyler Lockett and traded DK Metcalf to the Steelers.
Another major issue is the offensive line. If the Seahawks want to keep Darnold upright, they need to bolster the line and bring in some talented receivers that can create separation.
For now, the Seahawks landed the biggest free agent next to Cincinnati Bengals’ Tee Higgins. Darnold brings a wealth of veteran leadership and a canon that could lead to some big wins in 2025.
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Jets Reach $40M Deal with QB Fields – Fields of dreams. Justin Fields has agreed to terms with the New York Jets on a two-year, $40 million contract, which includes $30 million guaranteed, according to ESPN’s senior NFL insider Adam Schefter.
Fields will be reunited with wide receiver Garrett Wilson. They were teammates for two seasons at Ohio State (2019-20). Fields was drafted 11th overall in 2021, nine spots after the Jets selected quarterback Zach Wilson, who was replaced by four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers and traded last offseason.
Fields is going into his age-26 season in 2025 and has posted a career record of 14-30 across 44 starts. But do not let deceive you. He was originally selected by the Chicago Bears with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft and spent his first three seasons in the ‘Windy City’.
Fields completed just 60.3% of his passes in his three years with the Bears but established himself as a dual threat, a great running quarterback. He joined the Baltimore Ravens Lamar Jackson and Michael Vick as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to run for 1,000-plus yards in a single season after he amassed 1,143 in 2022.
The Bears ended up with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft thanks to the Bryce Young trade with the Carolina Panthers. That positioned Chicago to select Caleb Williams and led them to trade Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers prior to the draft. The Steelers sent a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Bears for the young quarterback.
Fields began the 2024 season as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback. He posted a 4-2 record over the first six games of the season while completing 66.3% of his passes for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. He also added 231 yards and five touchdowns on 55 rushes.
However, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin benched Fields in favor of Russell Wilson after the veteran returned from a lingering calf injury in Week 7. Shockingly, Fields played just 15 snaps the rest of the season after that, including the postseason, failing to complete his only two passes while running for 58 yards on seven carries.
This year, Fields will look to hold onto the starting job and build upon his career-high 65.8% completion percentage from last season.
The Jets landed Fields after losing four major contributors on Monday – right tackle Morgan Moses (New England Patriots), cornerback D.J. Reed (Detroit Lions), defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (Washington Commanders) and linebacker Haason Reddick (Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
