The Seattle Seahawks Sign Sam Darnold: 2025 Fantasy Football Implications
A massive quarterback domino has fallen in NFL Free Agency, as Sam Darnold has signed with the Seattle Seahawks on a three-year, $100.5 million deal.
After the team moved on from Geno Smith via trade over the weekend, it was clear that Seattle desperately needed to find a new quarterback in 2025. How does this move affect the Seattle Seahawks offense fantasy-wise for 2025? In today’s discussion, we answer that question plus much more.
With the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, Sam Darnold had a career year, which helped him secure this big contract with the Seattle Seahawks. Last season in Minnesota, the veteran signal caller averaged 19.1 fantasy points per game, the highest mark of his career thus far. However, fantasy managers should be fearful that Sam Darnold will not do as well in terms of output and production outside of Kevin O’Connell’s system, as O’Connell has a proven track record of getting production out of seemingly any quarterback he touches. Sam Darnold being away from Kevin O’Connell’s system next year should genuinely concern fantasy managers. Sam Darnold is not someone you will ever want to draft as your team’s starting quarterback in 2025, but as a QB2 on a roster, he provides fantasy managers with a nice, stable, steady floor. In dynasty, I would be trying to sell right now, as Darnold’s value will never be higher than it is now, especially considering what he accomplished with the Vikings in 2024.
The player that benefits most from the addition of Sam Darnold to this offense is wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. With DK Metcalf out of the picture and a stable, veteran quarterback throwing him the ball, the up and coming pass catcher should be a target machine in 2025. Plus, Seattle does not have a single pass catcher outside of Smith-Njigba that matters now. Noah Fant has never been a fantasy relevant player in his career, and the team does not use Kenneth Walker as a pass catcher out of the backfield too often, even if they should sometimes. Sure Seattle could add a significant talent or two in the draft in April, but for right now, it is just Smith-Njigba by himself and nobody else. No matter what you think of Sam Darnold as a real life quarterback, he was able to support two fantasy relevant receivers with the Vikings in 2024. Last season, Justin Jefferson averaged 18.7 fantasy points per game, and Jordan Addison averaged 14.2 fantasy points per game. So if Darnold was able to support two high-end fantasy receivers in Minnesota, then the veteran signal caller can support one high-end wide receiver in Seattle. Fantasy managers should be trying to draft Jaxon Smith-Njigba everywhere they can in 2025.