NFL free agency grades: QB Sam Darnold signs with Seahawks

The top quarterback in 2025 NFL free agency has a new team. Sam Darnold agreed to a three-year deal worth $100.5 million with the Seattle Seahawks. The deal includes $55 million guaranteed.

Darnold will replace Geno Smith under center in Seattle, after Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders late last week. Darnold, 27, is coming off a breakout 2024 season with the Minnesota Vikings and cashed in. But is this a good move for the Seahawks? Does it help stabilize their offense, which has lost Smith and receiver DK Metcalf in the past few days? Let's size up the deal.

Analytics writer Seth Walder is evaluating the deal based on multiple factors, including on-field impact, salary cap implications, compensation, player value/age and the context of the Seahawks' short- and long-term outlooks. How large is the impact of this decision and how sure are we it's a good or bad choice? How does this affect Seattle's chance to win the Super Bowl, either this season or in the future?

We also asked NFL draft analyst Matt Miller to make sense of the deal from a draft perspective. How does the signing change draft plans for the Seahawks? Here's our take on the big QB move.

More NFL free agency grades (ESPN+)

Grading the deal

Just days after jettisoning Smith -- who went from Jets bust to their reclamation-project QB -- the Seahawks have signed another in Darnold. And they didn't have to invest too much to get him, either.