Whispers emerged in early March suggesting that the Las Vegas Raiders, in need of an upgrade at quarterback, were not all that interested in signing Sam Darnold, the top signal-caller of this year’s free-agency class.
For a piece published Thursday, The Athletic’s Michael Silver offered more information about why the Raiders ultimately chose to acquire Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks earlier this offseason.
“The Seahawks’ pursuit of Darnold snuck up on many NFL observers and proceeded in rapid-fire fashion,” Silver wrote. “While some believed the Las Vegas Raiders would try to sign Darnold, minority owner Tom Brady — a seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback whose opinion held great sway — was not in favor of that approach, according to a source familiar with the franchise’s internal discussions. Meanwhile, Smith, seeking a lucrative extension from the Seahawks, reacted coldly to the team’s initial offer. The Raiders, having recently hired former Seattle coach Pete Carroll, emerged as a potential trade partner.”
Stories from the spring detailed how Brady was heavily involved in the Raiders’ offseason decisions regarding their quarterback situation. According to Dan Pompei of The Athletic, TB12 liked how Smith “can process and throw the football.” After the Raiders signed Smith to a two-year, $85.5M extension that included $66.5M guaranteed, Brady reportedly told the 34-year-old that his “decision making” and “leadership” were among the reasons Las Vegas went in that direction.
According to Pro Football Reference, Darnold finished the 2024 regular season ranked fifth in the league with 4,319 passing yards, fifth with 35 touchdown passes and sixth among qualified players with a 102.5 passer rating. To compare, Smith was fourth with 4,320 yards through the air, tied for 13th with 21 passing touchdowns and 19th with a 93.2 passer rating.
That said, Darnold played poorly as the Minnesota Vikings’ QB1 in the club’s biggest games of the season — a Week 18 loss at the Detroit Lions that determined the No. 1 seed for the playoffs and a wild-card playoff defeat against the Los Angeles Rams. One can’t help but wonder if those outings convinced Brady that Darnold hasn’t completely kicked his habit of seeing “ghosts” during games.
Despite how he ended his tenure in Minnesota, Darnold received a three-year, $100.5M contract from the Seahawks back in March.
Silver’s update seems to indicate that previous reports about Brady “running” the Raiders while serving as Fox’s lead in-game NFL analyst were at least somewhat accurate.
