Going into free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ biggest question mark is at quarterback. Initial reports made it seem like Justin Fields and Russell Wilson would be their first targets. However, they also reportedly intended to look into the other free agent signal callers. That includes Sam Darnold, who was sensational for the Minnesota Vikings last year. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like he’s going to land in Pittsburgh. He’s agreed to terms with the Seattle Seahawks, per Ian Rapoport on X.
“The Seahawks have their new QB: It’s Sam Darnold,” Rapoport wrote. “The former Vikings starter is finalizing a deal with Seattle, per The Insiders. He gets a 3-years deal worth nearly $100M, taking the place of Geno Smith. Darnold has been the favorite ever since the trade.”
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is structured a little differently.
“ESPN sources: Former Vikings QB Sam Darnold reached agreement today on a three-year, $110.5 million contract including $55 million guaranteed with the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle has its successor to Geno Smith,” Schefter tweeted.
It’s possible that the base deal is Rapoport’s reported number while the incentives structure is Schefter’s reported number. Both numbers are slightly below where many were projecting his contract to come, but still a lucrative deal.
Darnold was arguably the best quarterback available but also came with a huge price tag. While the Steelers have a ton of money available, investing a large chunk of that into Darnold likely wouldn’t have been wise. He was amazing last year, but he probably wouldn’t be the long-term answer for the Steelers.
The Seahawks make sense as a destination, too. They traded Geno Smith, their starter, just a few days ago, leaving them with a massive hole under center. They also started to seriously retool their offense, cutting wide receiver Tyler Lockett and trading DK Metcalf. Steelers fans likely aren’t too mad about that.
Even though the Steelers aren’t getting Darnold, there are still other quarterback options on the table. They could still pursue Fields or Wilson. Aaron Rodgers is still out there as well. No solution is perfect, but maybe they’ll acquire a cheaper option.
Darnold never quite seemed like a realistic option for the Steelers. There were reports that they were interested, but with the amount of money he was expected to command, it seemed like Pittsburgh was a longshot. Darnold should have a chance to continue to show his talents in Seattle, if the Seahawks can reload on weapons, that is.
The Steelers play the Seahawks this year, so Darnold is scheduled to come to Pittsburgh. Assuming he suits up for that contest, Steelers fans should get a good look at what could have been. While the Seahawks seem to be entering a sort of rebuilding phase, they still have a talented roster. Darnold could find some success there. Hopefully, that just isn’t the case when he plays the Steelers.
