The Seattle Seahawks are coming off an offseason with several major quarterback moves. Seattle opted to trade Geno Smith and later sign Sam Darnold as the team’s new QB1.
The Seahawks also selected Jalen Milroe in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft, but the former Alabama standout still appears to need some experience before being able to make a major impact. Trading Smith was done in part as a financial move as the Seahawks could not agree on a contact extension with the former Pro Bowler.
Ultimately, Smith signed a two-year, $75 million extension, putting him under contract with the Las Vegas Raiders through 2027. Darnold inked a three-year, $100 million deal, meaning the Seahawks quarterback is signed through 2027 as well.
Comparing the two deals shows Seattle saved a little more than $4 million annually, on average, by signing Darnold over Smith’s eventual contract. Not everyone is convinced that Darnold is a viable solution for the Seahawks.
Could Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa be a better fit for the Seahawks?
Proposed Trade Has Seahawks Give Up Massive Haul for Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
Sports Illustrated’s Thomas Carelli floated a wild blockbuster quarterback swap. The proposed trade has the Seahawks landing Tagovailoa while sending Darnold and a haul to South Beach.
Seattle also trades two first-round picks (2026, 2027) and a third rounder (2027) to Miami as part of the deal. The analyst makes the argument for why the Seahawks may consider giving up this many assets in the deal.
“Tua Tagovailoa is still a solid quarterback when healthy,” Carelli wrote in a September 8, story titled, “NFL Mock Trade: Tua Tagovailoa Sent to Seattle Seahawks for Sam Darnold.” “A team like Seattle may decide that they can get a quarterback that fits their run-pass scheme very well. Tua carries a cap hit of well over $50M AAV, but Darnold carries $33.9M in 2026 and $41.9M in 2027. This contract swap is not as drastic as you would think for Seattle.
“The Seahawks have Klint Kubiak as their new offensive coordinator and he loves a run-to-pass concept. This is where Tua has thrived with Mike McDaniel. Short-passes to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp where Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet run wild could be reminiscent of that lethal 2023 Dolphins team.”
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa Has a Concerning Injury History
While this is a fun thought exercise, the Seahawks should hang up immediately if this kind of trade is ever on the table. Seattle should not give up three significant future draft picks for a quarterback with a checkered injury history.
Tagovailoa missed six games in 2024 and has unfortunately dealt with multiple concussions in addition to other injuries. The Dolphins quarterback’s four-year, $212 million contract is slated to go through 2028.
Tagovailoa’s best season came in 2023 when the quarterback threw for 4,624 yards, 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while completing 69.3% of his passes in 17 starts during his lone Pro Bowl campaign.
This Seahawks-Dolphins Trade Proposal Is a Hard Pass for Seattle
The trade has the Seahawks acquiring an expensive quarterback with availability that has been much more of a question mark than Darnold. Even if this were a one-for-one quarterback swap, it is hard to feel confident that Tagovailoa would make Seattle significantly better.
It is way too small of a sample size to dismiss Darnold as the Seahawks QB1. If Seattle does eventually hit the reset button, the front office may be wiser to address the position with a first-round draft pick rather than trade for an expensive quarterback.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Proposed Trade Has Seahawks Swap Sam Darnold for $212 Million Ex-Pro Bowl QB appeared first on Heavy Sports.