Sam Darnold Signs With Seahawks: Fantasy Football Advice (2025)

The Seattle Seahawks have agreed to a three-year contract with quarterback Sam Darnold, reportedly worth between $100 million and $110.5 million, with $55 million guaranteed. This move slates Darnold as the Seahawks’ new starting quarterback following the Friday trade of Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders.

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Sam Darnold Signs With Seahawks Fantasy Football Impact

The Seattle Seahawks’ 2025 Outlook

In the 2024 season with the Minnesota Vikings, Darnold experienced a career renaissance, leading the team to an astounding 14-3 record with a playoff appearance.

The soon-to-be 28-year-old completed 66% of his passes for 4,564 yards, 36 touchdowns and 13 interceptions through the postseason.

He was the fantasy QB9 through 17 weeks on the back of great passing efficiency in Kevin O’Connell’s quarterback-friendly offense. Darnold posted career-highs across the board, finishing seventh in yards per pass attempt and sixth in completion percentage above expectation (+3.2%).

But Darnold’s transition to Seattle presents more challenges than opportunities for fantasy managers to take advantage of. For starters, the supporting cast is a massive downgrade.

The Seahawks have undergone significant offensive changes, including the trade of star WR DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the release of reliable WR Tyler Lockett.

This raises major questions about the quality of Darnold’s receiving options outside of Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN), potentially impacting his fantasy production, which is heavily dependent on passing efficiency without high-end passing volume.

Seattle’s run-heavy offensive system will also play a crucial role in Darnold’s fantasy outlook, and it’s hard to say it’s anything but another factor he will have to overcome.

Klint Kubiak had his moments in New Orleans (the first two weeks), but injuries quickly derailed the Saints’ offense. To his credit, he definitely brought innovation to the Saints’ offense in the use of motion and play action. Derek Carr ranked fourth in completion rate over expectation and 11th in EPA/dropback (both superior to Darnold).

It’s possible that if and when the Seahawks can bolster their offensive line and provide adequate protection, Darnold could perform at a high level. Carr had his moments in this offense last season.

But there are too many new/unknown reductions to suggest that Darnold can replicate his 2024 efforts. The Vikings were the perfect spot for a quarterback. The Seahawks… are not (even if it’s not the worst).

The Kubiak offense wants to run the football and play strong defense outdoors at home.

It would be a disservice for Seattle to put too much pressure on Darnold to drop back 40-plus times per game, as those occurrences last season were some of his season-lows. Most notably, the last two weeks of the season influenced how teams viewed Darnold during the 2025 NFL Free Agency period. Darnold’s history of turnovers and inconsistency cannot be overlooked, especially in lackluster environments.

Given the current uncertainties surrounding Seattle’s offensive personnel, Darnold should be considered a low-end fantasy QB2. He is a viable streamer in the right matchups but I don’t think he comes close to the top-10 producer he was in Minnesota.

Keep in mind that Smith was ranked well outside the top 24 quarterbacks when he was projected to be the Seahawks’ starter. The lack of established receiving weapons means that there is a need to temper expectations. Fantasy managers are advised to draft Darnold as a backup with the potential to become a reliable starter if Seattle addresses its offensive line needs before the season commences.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba‘s Value

Darnold is a competent enough quarterback that I don’t think we need to view the Seahawks’ offense too differently than we did when Smith was slated to be the starter just a few days ago.

As I noted in the Seahawks’ outlook portion of my Geno Smith Traded to the Raiders reaction article, they want to get back to the basics of running the football and playing defense in 2025.

For somebody like JSN, Darnold is a perfect quarterback for him to dominate the target share. He had six games with double-digit targets last season and averaged 18.4 points per game (half-PPR), good for WR2 last season in half-PPR scoring. Give him volume, and we should be fine.

The Seahawks will run a lot of two-receiver sets, meaning JSN will be competing for opportunities with running backs and tight ends more than other receivers. He should be targeted by Darnold, just as we saw the ex-Vikings quarterback do at times with Justin Jefferson last season.

Except in this situation, it won’t stop because the Seahawks don’t have other featured pass-catchers. The current receiver depth chart behind JSN includes Jake Bobo, Dareke Young, Jaelon Darden and Cody White

This offense doesn’t project to be “fun” for fantasy football, but Darnold should keep the main fantasy football contributers operating at expectations.

The Seattle Offensive Line

Again, that expectation comes with the caveat that they make the necessary improvements across the interior of the offensive line.

The Seahawks’ offensive line still remains a major work in progress, and it has to get fixed. People forget, but Darnold’s implosion in the last two games of 2024 was not entirely his fault. The offensive line crumbled down the stretch, and he suffered.

Darnold was the fifth-most pressured quarterback last season (39%), nearly at the same rate as Smith (38.5%). Although he performed relatively well under pressure with a 13-6 TD-INT ratio compared to Smith (7-13 TD-INT ratio), O’Connell’s offensive infrastructure put Darnold in a position to succeed. Chasing high passing touchdown totals, in general, is not favorable the following season, especially when they are touchdowns under pressure.

The Seahawks believe that they can succeed with Kubiak’s wide-zone running scheme and Darnold at the helm. I am more skeptical.

As noted by the Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar, there’s a reason why the Seahawks are on their third offensive coordinator in as many seasons. This hasn’t been a good offensive environment for quarterbacks to thrive. That gap is heavily widened when compared to the Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings’ Outlook

Darnold’s departure leaves second-year QB J.J. McCarthy, as the projected starter in 2025. I, for one, don’t think this offense will miss a beat with the former Michigan QB under center. The offseason reports have been positive regarding his injury recovery.

In this system – floored with weapons – McCarthy should thrive. Don’t be shocked if he easily out-scores Darnold in his first NFL season as a starter.