In the unpredictable world of NFL analysis, bold predictions often define careers—and occasionally lead to some of the most memorable faceplants. Few takes from the 2025 offseason have aged worse than ESPN’s Mina Kimes’ assessment of the Seattle Seahawks’ decision to trade quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Mina Kimes said what?!?
What Kimes framed as a “terrible move” for Seattle and a “great” one for Las Vegas has instead become a textbook example of how quickly fortunes can flip in professional football.
Kimes, a longtime Seahawks fan whose passion for the team is well-documented, didn’t hold back in March 2025. Just days before Seattle inked Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million deal, she declared on social media: “Flat out: this is a terrible move by Seattle. Chances of upgrading are extremely low.”
She doubled down by praising the Raiders’ side of the bargain, calling it “a great move by the new Raiders regime. Far and away the best option at QB and for a third rounder? Yes.”
At the time, the trade seemed defensible to some. Smith had revived his career in Seattle under Pete Carroll, posting strong numbers despite shaky protection, and many viewed Darnold—a former first-round pick with a checkered history—as a risky downgrade.Fast-forward through the 2025 season, and the narrative has completely inverted. Geno Smith endured a nightmare campaign in Las Vegas.
Reunited with Carroll (who had moved to the Raiders), Smith threw a league-high 17 interceptions, struggled behind a porous offensive line, and was sacked 55 times. The Raiders limped to a dismal 3-14 record—the worst in the NFL—costing them the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft and leading directly to Carroll’s firing after just one season. Smith’s regression, amplified by poor blocking and team dysfunction, turned what looked like a stable veteran bridge into a liability.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks thrived under second-year head coach Mike Macdonald and with Darnold at the helm. Though Darnold didn’t replicate his Pro Bowl-level stats from his prior stop in Minnesota, he delivered when it mattered most. In the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams, Darnold put together what many called the best performance of his career: 25-of-36 passing for 346 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions in a gritty 31-27 victory. That win punched Seattle’s ticket to Super Bowl LX, capping a 14-3 regular season where the team earned the NFC’s top seed.
Darnold’s poise under pressure—completing key throws even when blitzed—silenced doubters and proved Seattle’s bet on a younger, more mobile quarterback paid massive dividends. Adding insult to injury for the trade skeptics, Seattle used the third-round pick acquired from Las Vegas to select Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in the 2025 NFL Draft. Milroe represents a high-upside developmental prospect, giving the Seahawks a potential long-term successor while Darnold handles the present.
The move highlighted smart asset management: shedding an unhappy veteran (Smith had sought a bigger extension), gaining draft capital, and investing in youth—all while upgrading at the position in real time. As a self-proclaimed Seahawks diehard, Kimes’ misread stings extra. Her emotional attachment to the franchise and deep knowledge of its history made the take particularly eyebrow-raising.
Why is Kimes an NFL analyst at ESPN?
It’s one thing for an outsider to question a move; it’s another for an insider fan-analyst to call it outright terrible, only to watch it propel her team to the brink of a championship. Kimes has since owned the error gracefully, admitting she’s “been wrong a bunch” and expressing genuine happiness for Darnold’s success.
Growth through accountability is admirable in any field, but the whiplash here is undeniable. Kimes boasts an excellent track record as a journalist—sharp, insightful, and often ahead of the curve on broader league trends. Yet this whiff raises fair questions about her fit as a primary NFL analyst on ESPN. The network has long needed stronger investigative journalism in its NFL coverage, an area where Kimes’ reporting chops could shine without the weekly pressure of hot takes. Analyst roles demand prognostication, and no one bats 1.000, but a swing this far off the mark—especially tied to her favorite team—can erode credibility in a league where hindsight is ruthless.
Others saw the move more clearly from the start, with myself included. Back in March when I covered the Seahawks at Chat Sports, I argued it was smart to pivot to a younger, cheaper option in Darnold while recouping value for Smith. Previously, I emphasized Seattle’s need for a fresh start under new leadership, and the results have vindicated that view emphatically.
In the end, the 2025 season exposed the risks of over-relying on past performance in quarterback evaluation. Smith’s decline in a dysfunctional Raiders setup and Darnold’s emergence in a stable, defense-first environment flipped the script. Kimes’ take may go down as the season’s coldest, but it also serves as a reminder: in the NFL, even the sharpest minds can get it spectacularly wrong—and the game moves on regardless.
