Sam Darnold has given a huge turnaround in his career. Since last season, he is one of the very few quarterbacks to have two-straight 14-win seasons. Is the quarterback getting financially rewarded by his great output on his Seattle Seahawks contract?
When the Seahawks signed Darnold, they gave him a three-year, $100.5 million deal. Out of those, $55 million were guaranteed and he received a $32 million signing bonus. On a yearly average, Darnold earns $33.5 million.
At this point, that puts Darnold as the 18th highest-paid quarterback this year. Over him are the likes of his Seattle predecesor Geno Smith, Kirk Cousins, Deshaun Watson, Kyler Murray, and more that haven’t been near the playoffs this year. So for the Seahawks, they might see the deal as a bargain given the fact that they are a game away from a Super Bowl.
Sam Darnold has earned his respect
You might not remember it, but the first pass Sam Darnold threw in the NFL was a cross-field pick-6. Literally the worst possible start a quarterback could ever ask for. After that, his career on the Jets and Panthers were really worthy of the undesirable ‘underwhelming‘ tag. But Darnold never gave up and his career is one of the best redemption stories in NFL history and he can now be considered a top-level QB.
Darnold’s big break came by being a backup, as ironically as it sounds. In 2023, he was only seen as a third overall pick who got relegated to a career backup and he signed for San Francisco. Under Kyle Shanahan, he learned plenty of stuff, and he then exploited it in 2024 under another offensive mastermind in Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota. Now, with Klint Kubiak as the OC in Seattle, he is once again proving he evolved into a prolific passer.
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Darnold still wants to achieve more
It’s not every player that signs a $100 million contract, but the reality is Darnold still wants more. When he was drafted third overall in 2018, he was supposed to change the franchise’s fate. He didn’t do it with the Jets. Still, the Vikings certainly missed him in 2025 and the Seahawks pray that Darnold stays healthy for years to come. The Seahawks have a decent backup, but Darnold is a leader on this team.
If Darnold manages to keep this level of play, he will actually be in contention for Super Bowl titles for the next few years. Darnold has developed into an accurate, mature quarterback almost any team would gladly have.
