Sam Darnold-Geno Smith swap aging like fine wine for Seahawks

The Seahawks look absolutely brilliant so far.

Sep 14, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) scrambles with the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Through three weeks, it looks like the Sam Darnold experiment is going to work out pretty well for the Seattle Seahawks. He has them at 2-1, with a huge play from Nick Bosa being the only thing standing in the way of an unbeaten start. Darnold's been mostly excellent other than a middling opener.

On the other hand, Geno Smith has looked decent but far from great for the Las Vegas Raiders. Much was made about Seattle's choice to swap them out, but so far, it's been a stroke of genius for the Seahawks.

Geno Smith has struggled while Sam Darnold has soared

Sep 21, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) scrambles from Washington Commanders defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste (90) during the fourth quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The decision to move on from Geno Smith was a little bit of a surprise, and the decision to give Sam Darnold, who had exactly one year of good play, a three-year, $100.5 million deal was equally as surprising.

But so far, it's aged like fine wine. Smith has been solid, and his numbers are dragged down by a particularly bad showing in Week 2. Regardless, Darnold has a 104.7 passer rating so far. Smith is at 84.3. Neither have been bad, but Darnold is on another level.

Passer rating through 3 weeks:

Sam Darnold: 104.7 (8th in NFL)
Geno Smith: 84.3 (21st in NFL) pic.twitter.com/kFhMW2exDR

— SleeperSeahawks (@SleeperSeahawks) September 22, 2025

The Seahawks liked what Darnold could do in Klint Kubiak's system. They also thought he could be a little less volatile than Smith, two things that have proven to be completely true so far. Smith had more turnovers in Week 2 than Darnold has.

Darnold had a rough opener against a fiery 49ers defense, but he has since rebounded and looked like one of the best QBs in the NFL. If he keeps this up, his annual salary is going to look like an absolute steal.

Paired with a dominant defense, the Darnold-led offense has the Seahawks looking good to start the season. Provided he doesn't turn back into a pumpkin, the team should be poised to return to the playoffs and win more than 10 games.

Those were two things that didn't seem plausible at the beginning of training camp after so many offensive changes, but they're quickly becoming a reality for the Hawks, thanks to how well Darnold has been able to play.

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