SEATTLE — A busy weekend of Seahawks trade activity began Friday afternoon when the team reportedly sent Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round draft pick.

Smith seemed to confirm the trade on social media over the weekend and will now be reunited with former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll in Sin City. 

Meanwhile, the Seahawks will now have a new starter at the game’s most important position for the first time since 2022. The National Football League’s (NFL) free agency period kicks off Monday, and the draft will get underway in late April. A variety of options will be available for the Seahawks in both, and here are a few names to keep an eye on as the franchise goes in a new direction at the quarterback position.

According to reports, Darnold is the free-agent quarterback the Seahawks are focusing on to replace Smith. A former top-five draft pick, Darnold’s career got off to a rocky start with the New York Jets and he eventually bounced between a few teams as a backup.

In 2024, a preseason injury to rookie J.J. McCarthy thrust Darnold into the starting lineup for the Minnesota Vikings. Darnold put together the best season of his professional career, throwing 35 touchdowns and leading the Vikings to a 14-3 regular season record. Minnesota was vanquished in the first round of the NFL playoffs, and the team has reportedly made it clear it plans to start McCarthy next season once his knee injury heals.

Darnold thrived with the Vikings, but did have one of the league’s best wide receivers in Justin Jefferson, a good running game and a better offensive line than what he’d have in Seattle as it is currently constituted. The Seahawks jettisoned two of its top three receivers in the last week in Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf and will need several moves to improve the offensive line in both free agency and the draft.

Perhaps Darnold could carry over the magic from his 2024 season in Seattle, but he also would command a salary not far from what Smith apparently wanted from the Seahawks. Seattle does have a strong group of running backs and a rising star in Jaxon Smith-Njigba at wide receiver, but how the team fills out the rest of the supporting cast will determine how successful Darnold could be for the Seahawks.

Another former top-five draft selection, Fields’ career also didn’t get off to the start many expected when he came out of Ohio State University. Fields struggled to consistently deliver with the Chicago Bears and spent the 2024 season battling with former Seahawk Russell Wilson for the starting job with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Fields has been linked to the Steelers and Jets in free agency, but there would be a familiar face for him to throw to with the Seahawks. One of Fields’ receivers for his final season at Ohio State was Smith-Njigba, who now is set to be the Seahawks’ No. 1 wideout. 

A cheaper option than Darnold, signing Fields likely would give the Seahawks more flexibility to improve the roster elsewhere in free agency. However, no reports indicate much mutual interest between Fields and the Seahawks, so landing in Seattle would be a surprise to many around the NFL. The Seahawks have indicated they’d like to employ a much more balanced rushing attack in 2025, and Fields provides elite mobility at the position.

Many fans would cringe at the idea of bringing in the 41-year-old quarterback, but The Athletic’s Diana Russini reports the Seahawks plan to meet with Rodgers. The four-time NFL MVP did not live up to expectations during his stint with the Jets the past few seasons and hasn’t returned to his elite-level play since leaving the Green Bay Packers.

Rodgers does have West Coast roots and might be eyeing a chance to play closer to home, but the backlash from this move would be immense in Seattle. The best of Rodgers’ ability is behind him at this stage of his career, so expect the Seahawks to ultimately look elsewhere for the next face of the quarterback position.

Even if the Seahawks sign a quarterback in free agency, drafting a young signal-caller would be smart if the team feels strongly about a prospect outside of the first round. After all, Russell Wilson was a third-round selection and ended up winning the starting job and holding onto it for a decade in Seattle.

Dart is an intriguing prospect outside of the top few quarterbacks who will go early in the first round. A productive QB at Ole Miss, Dart could develop behind an established starter or potentially start from Day 1 if he wows the coaching staff of whatever team he winds up with. The Seahawks have accumulated some additional draft picks with the trades of Smith and Metcalf, so taking a chance on Dart or another rookie QB could prove to set the team up for long-term success at the position.

The team’s current backup, Howell has been a starter before in the NFL with the Washington Commanders. In his only season as a full-time starter, Howell led the NFL in interceptions and sacks taken. 

He has been with the team now for a full season, but Howell also would be learning a new system for the second year in a row after the Seahawks fired Ryan Grubb following his first season as the offensive coordinator. If the Seahawks choose to draft a QB in the later rounds and ultimately can’t agree on a price with Darnold or the other major free-agent options at QB, there is a world where Howell steps under center for Seattle in Week 1.

Howell’s brief play in relief of Smith in 2024 did not give Seattle fans much hope for his potential as the team’s QB1. There are better options than Howell out there, so this would most likely only be a last resort.

The Seahawks’ QB position has not been this uncertain since Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos in March 2022. After a disastrous tenure there and a somewhat positive comeback season in Pittsburgh, Wilson is also looking for a new home.

Reports after the trade indicated Wilson had not only soured on then-coach Carroll but also general manager John Schneider, who remains at the top of the team’s front office. Many Seahawks fans seem to have relaxed their anti-Wilson sentiment, but this still feels like an extremely unlikely pairing given all the baggage of the longtime Seattle quarterback’s departure.

There aren’t many free-agent options better than Wilson out there on the market currently, and if the Seahawks strike out on Darnold, this could be an interesting pairing.