Seahawks get low grade for Sam Darnold deal, but their Super Bowl odds jump

Some folks aren't as excited as we are about the Seattle Seahawks agreeing to terms with Sam Darnold. It's understandable for the average NFL fan not to think much of it, considering how Darnold has played for most of his career at this level. However, that's overlooking the incredible transformation he went through last season, raising his game to that of an exceptional starter and Pro Bowler instead of a borderline backup.

It seems the media is also not all that hot on the Darnold deal, either. According to an analysis by Matt Verderame at Sports Illustrated, the Seahawks only get a C+ grade from him for Darnold.

"Although the end of the year was rough with losses in Week 18 and the wild-card round, Darnold played like a fringe MVP candidate. Now, he joins the Seahawks with the hopes of having a long-term future. The real question is whether Darnold can thrive without Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell on the sideline, and the combination of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones around him."

nfl — Dec 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) rushes against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

We feel alot of folks are suffering from recency bias, focusing on Darnold's struggles in Minnesota's playoff loss to the Rams. They should keep in mind that the same thing happens to all but two or three quarterbacks on the planet when they run into a playoff-level defense. Darnold crushed it throughout the regular season and with a bit more experience in the playoffs there's no limit to how far he can go.

Speaking of the ultimate goal in this business, the guys who set the odds for the Super Bowl certainly took notice of Seattle's deal with Darnold. According to Iain MacMillan at Sports Illustrated, the Seahawks' odds went from +8000 to +5000 after the Darnold news broke.

The next step towards pushing those odds in the right direction is finding Darnold two new wide receivers to complement JSN and replace what they lost in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. From there, the real challenge begins of building a quality offensive line, which would be a first for the Seahawks under this front office.

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