Insider Scoop Indicates Seahawks Might Make Big Move With Sam Darnold in Offseason

When the Seattle Seahawks signed Sam Darnold at the start of the free agency period last offseason, the reaction from the fanbase and experts was mixed. But one thing that stood out was the contract he was signed to, a three-year, $100.5 million deal that immediately made him one of the cheapest veteran starting quarterbacks in the league.

In fact, if you go by average annual value, only Baker Mayfield, Justin Fields, Daniel Jones, Aaron Rodgers, and Russell Wilson were cheaper. It was a notable bargain, assuming Darnold could keep his play from the 2024 season up. Come today, with Sam Darnold about to start in the super bowl, it’s safe to say that he has done just that.

Darnold ranked 5th in the NFL in passing yards, 2nd in yards per pass attempt, 9th in passing touchdowns, and 9th in rating, on a team that ranked third in scoring despite spending the least amount of money of any NFL squad on their offense. Darnold has significantly outplayed his contract, which raises the question of if that contract will survive to the 2026 season.

Per Jonathan Jones, league sources believe that a win today could put Darnold in line for a contract extension this offseason. This is atypical in general, as contract extensions are typically done in the final year of the current deal, and would be especially atypical for the Seahawks, who have largely steered away from doing early extensions during John Schneider’s tenure.

We’ve seen this approach play out previously, sometimes to the frustration of the players. Over a decade ago, leading up to the 2015 season, star safety Kam Chancellor held out of training camp, preseason, and eventually the first two games of the regular season over a minor contract quibble that Schneider held the line on due to Kam having three years left.

Chancellor didn’t even want an extension, by the way. He just wanted a restructure so he’d get paid out a little faster. Furthermore, while a lot of the details of the Russell Wilson-Seahawks breakup are shrouded in rumor, it’s believed by many that the decision to trade Wilson in the 2022 offseason was partially influenced by Wilson wanting an extension with two years left.

Schneider kind of bent the rule over a month ago when he extended Charles Cross to a 4-year, $104.4 million dollar contract while he was technically still in the second-to-last year of his current deal, but the distinction is very minor as it was done so late in the season. Generally, Schneider has stuck by Paul Allen’s philosophy here. But maybe this would be different.

Winning a Super Bowl would have to make a man reconsider his philosophy, right? Particularly when the quarterback that drove you to that win would be sitting on a contract that ranks 18th in average annual value for quarterbacks, behind Kirk Cousins, Geno Smith, and Kyler Murray. I’m sure Schneider cherishes the bargain he has, but Darnold may not.

That’s a key question here. Will Darnold work to secure an early extension this offseason, and would he possibly be willing to battle for it if met with resistance? And would the team risk upsetting their starting quarterback coming off a super bowl by not giving him what he wants? If there was ever a time for Schneider to break his rule, it’s probably that scenario.

Obviously, this is a discussion for the offseason, after this final game is done with. Maybe Darnold is fine with his current arrangement, being one of those unicorns that isn’t out to get every penny he can out of his career. But you can bet this will be a topic of discussion very soon, as Darnold has earned a top dollar deal with his play.

Schneider loves Darnold's current contract, but will it hold through 2026? — Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider against the Arizona Cardinals. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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