After their blockbuster trade that sent Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Seattle Seahawks signed Sam Darnold in free agency to replace him.
Darnold was one of the best stories of the entire 2024 season after reviving his career with the Minnesota Vikings. The former No. 3 overall pick earned his first Pro Bowl nod and led the Vikings to a 14-3 record after completing 66.2% of his passes for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns to 12 interceptions.
While that’s all well and good, the jury is still out on Darnold being a long-term answer for Seattle. After all, he has just one good season under his belt, and he’s joining a team that doesn’t have as strong of a supporting cast as Minnesota.
Despite giving Darnold a three-year, $100.5 million contract, the Seahawks aren’t showing a ton of faith in the veteran, as they could conceivably part ways with him after 2025, and they already drafted his possible replacement in Jalen Milroe.
The problem with Milroe is that he’s far from a guarantee to pan out. The young signal-caller is a project, and seeing as how he’s a third-round pick, Seattle won’t hesitate to bail on Milroe if he doesn’t make strides in his first year.
Knowing all that, Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy predicts that the Seahawks will bail on both Milroe and Darnold in 2026 in favor of LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier in next year’s draft. He has Seattle taking Nussmeier at No. 12 overall, which means Popejoy does not expect Darnold and the Seahawks to do well.
Nussmeier was stuck behind Jayden Daniels for a few seasons before he finally got his shot to be the full-time starter in 2024 — and he didn’t disappoint.
Nussmeier tallied 32 of his 44 career touchdowns (29 passing in 2024) last season while throwing for 4,052 yards on a 64.2% completion rate.
He doesn’t offer elite athleticism but moves well in the pocket. Nussmeier’s arm talent is where he really shines, as he can make all the throws on a football field and has impressive accuracy, also.
Nussmeier no doubt still has more to prove, but if he’s able to build on what he did in 2024, he could be a first-round talent in next year’s draft and someone the Seahawks target if they aren’t set with Darnold or Milroe.
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