The quarterback carousel is also active this offseason, Sam Darnold is joining the Seattle Seahawks, but the Seahawks are parting ways with Geno Smith, who has signed with the Las Vegas Raiders and is also signing a new contract. The details of the two contracts are causing the rumor mill to boil.

The Seattle Seahawks have made a radical change to their offense in the offseason. After six years, three of them as a starter, the franchise parted ways with quarterback Geno Smith. The veteran was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders.

The search for a successor did not take long, and shortly after the official start of free agency, Sam Darnold was signed. After a strong year with the Minnesota Vikings, he got his big payday with the Seahawks.

However, the critics were loud at the sight of the Darnold contract: Why didn’t Seattle want to offer Smith such a deal? Soon there were reports that Smith rejected a similar offer from the Seahawks and then demanded a trade.

Rumors also arose that Darnold’s contract had no guarantees from the second year on, except for an injury clause of $17.5 million. Accordingly, it was originally said that the deal was only a one-year contract for $37.5 million. If Darnold did not get injured, Seattle would get out of the actual three-year, $100.5 million contract at no further cost after the first season.

NFL: New details raise concerns

But that turned out to be a mistake a few days ago. As “Spotrac” and “Over the Cap” report, the Seahawks only get out of the contract after two years – but even then only if they swallow $19.5 million in dead cap. A release after one year would mean over $40 million in dead cap, making this scenario unlikely. Overall, Darnold would earn $66.5 million over two years.

Smith’s recent deal with the Raiders is therefore making people sit up and take notice, because the 34-year-old signed a two-year, $75 million deal in Las Vegas – $66.5 million of which is guaranteed. This is exactly the same amount that Darnold would be due in Seattle until 2026.

This has led to new speculation: the original reports about Smith’s trade requests don’t make as much sense if he accepted practically the same deal in Las Vegas as Darnold in Seattle. Only Smith himself could shed light on the matter, but so far the quarterback has remained silent on the events of the offseason.