3 tough questions Seattle Seahawks will face if they sign Sam Darnold

Since the Geno Smith trade went down on Friday evening, all signs have pointed to the Seattle Seahawks pursuing Sam Darnold as their top target to replace Smith as their starting quarterback. It's looking like a real possibility, too. The latest scoops say that there's mutual interest on Darnold's part and that the Minnesota Vikings are not expected to re-sign Darnold, opening a clear path for Seattle to sign him.

Now that Minnesota is out of the picture, the Seahawks are by far the best team that might want to sign Darnold, so it's reasonable to assume that they're in the lead to get him, at least for now.

Darnold is the most-logical target for Seattle this offseason and by far the best free agent QB in this class. However, that's not necessarily a high bar to clear. The rest of the veterans who are about to become free agents - including huge names like Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson - are all either career backups, or are likely to be demoted from starter to backup this year.

Darnold's 2024 season was undeniably impressive, to be sure. While it is a small sample size Darnold's late-blooming growth should be interpreted as a sign that he's finally ready to start living up to the potential that made him a top-three overall pick in the first place.

That said, if the Seahawks do manage to sign Darnold, there are some tough questions they're going to have to answer. Here are three.

Sam darnold — Dec 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) hug after the game at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

1. How much was Kevin O'Connell responsible for Darnold's breakout year?

The biggest difference between Seattle's situation compared to Minnesota's is on the sidelines. Mike Madonald is an undeniable whiz at defensive playcalling, but that's only going to help Darnold in that he'll be practicing against a tough defensvie mind every day. By comparison, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell got his job because he's one of the game's best offensive playcallers - recently ranking fourth in the entire NFL. If Darnold has issues adjusting to not having O'Connell calling the plays, we might see a significantly different version of Darnold in 2025 than we did this past season in Minnesota.

2. Can Darnold handle going from a good offensive line to a bad one?

Another big change that Darnold would have to adjust to involves a pretty gnarly change to the personnel in front of him. With the Vikings he had a strong pass-protection unit helping him, ranking second in ESPN's pass block win rate in 2024. By comparison, the Seahawks ranked 21st in that stat. Unless they manage to sign some serious updgrades inside, there's a good chance Darnold will face the same major issue that kept a low lid on Geno Smith's ceiling as Seattle's QB1. Intense and sudden interior pressure is the quickest and most sure way to shut down a modern NFL passing attack - and if Darnold's off-script playmaking ability can't transcend that he won't be much of an upgrade at all.

3. How much will Darnold miss Justin Jefferson?

The Seahawks at least have a relatively strong wide receiver corps - but that's assuming that DK Metcalf will still be in place - which we definitely can't do right now. There's also no one true shining superstar in Seattle's receiver room, either. At least nobody who's near the level of Vikings stud Justin Jefferson, who's easily the best at his position in the NFC. In five seasons Jefferson has already totaled nearly 500 catches, almost 7,500 yards and 40 touchdowns. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are awesome and capable receivers in their own ways, but neither are touching that kind of production. Darnold will have to learn not to lean on one supremely-reliable weapon like Jefferson and it'll be a stark change indeed if Metcalf is no longer around.

1. How much was Kevin O'Connell responsible for Darnold's breakout year?

2. Can Darnold handle going from a good offensive line to a bad one?

3. How much will Darnold miss Justin Jefferson?

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