Sam Darnold is once again walking through a door left ajar by Geno Smith.
The Seattle Seahawks are signing Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract with $55 million guaranteed, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero reported Monday.
His big pay day, far removed from the one-year pact Darnold signed with the Vikings as a bridge quarterback last offseason, is the reward for a remarkable career turnaround in Minnesota.
The former No. 3 overall pick languished through three seasons with the New York Jets -- who drafted Darnold in 2018 as a prospective franchise QB, a role Smith previously failed to fill for the team -- before a two-year stint with the Carolina Panthers and a single campaign as a San Francisco 49ers backup. When Darnold joined the Vikings, he was sporting a 21-35 career record with 12,064 passing yards, 63 touchdowns, 56 interceptions and a 59.7 completion percentage to his name.
He promptly tacked on 14 victories in purple while demolishing previous career highs with 4,319 passing yards, 35 TDs and a 66.2 completion percentage. But then he suddenly reverted to the Darnold of old, looking outmatched in a pivotal Week 18 game against the Detroit Lions and then similarly lost in a wild-card defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, seemingly muddying the waters in terms of his future in Minnesota.
The Vikings declined to franchise tag him, although they were still interested at that point in a deal that would work for both sides, per Rapoport and Pelissero.
Then, on March 7, the Seahawks agreed to trade Smith to the Raiders, sending one of the biggest quarterback dominoes of the offseason toppling. Smith turned down a similar deal to Darnold's, Pelissero reported Monday, before the team agreed to trade him.
The Insiders reported on Saturday that Seattle intended to turn its attention toward Darnold, who was no longer expected to re-up with Minnesota.
Two days later, Darnold has indeed agreed to terms with the Seahawks.
Darnold wasn't a direct replacement for Smith when the Jets selected him in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft; he was more of a spiritual successor. Smith, a 2013 second-rounder, had already moved elsewhere a year earlier and was benched seasons before that. But Darnold was the highest-drafted Jets QB since they took Smith 39th overall.
Now, Darnold is having another follow-in-the-footsteps moment.
And like Smith, who is reuniting with his old head coach Pete Carroll in Las Vegas, Darnold gets a reunion with Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, his passing game coordinator for the Niners in 2023.
He comes to an offensive roster under head coach Mike Macdonald that is very much in flux. The Seahawks released wide receiver Tyler Lockett and granted the trade request of wideout DK Metcalf, who is being dealt to the Steelers. Seattle's offensive line will also need bolstering, as it has for several years now, or Darnold will need to find ways to compensate as his predecessor often did.
As for the Vikings, their future apparently falls into the hands of J.J. McCarthy.
Darnold won't have to wait long to get a close glimpse at how Minnesota fares without him. He and the Seahawks are slated to host his former squad during the 2025 regular season.
