Sam Darnold contract: More details on deal with Seahawks, but no clarity

Nearly two weeks after signing his new three-year, $100.5 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks, more details are finally being released about quarterback Sam Darnold's new deal with the team.

The breakdown is mostly the same from two sources — Over The Cap and Spotrac — outside of one major detail: How much money the Seahawks would have to pay Darnold if they wanted out of the contract after one season.

According to OTC, Darnold was guaranteed $37.5 million at signing of the deal's $55 million in total guaranteed money. Spotrac, however, has that figure at $52.5 million with his 2026 roster bonus ($15 million) included. Under the former circumstance, the roster bonus wouldn't trigger unless Darnold was on Seattle's roster on the fifth day of the 2026 waiver period, making it significantly easier for the Seahawks to maneuver away from Darnold after 2025 if they chose to.

The impact of that detail is significant, as initially indicated by Curtis Allen of SeahawksDraftBlog. If the roster bonus was guaranteed at signing, Seattle would inherit a $21.4 million dead cap hit in 2026 if he was a post-June 1 release. That figure falls all the way to $6.4 million if it isn't guaranteed.

While it's still unconfirmed, ESPN's Brady Henderson hypothesized OTC's version of the contract is more likely correct based on past contract structuring by Seattle under general manager John Schneider. That would be the more team-friendly version of the deal.

I’m trying to get a hold of a copy of the actual contract so I can read it. I’d guess the roster bonus is not guaranteed. Haven’t seen them so that. Would seem to defeat the purpose of a roster bonus.
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) March 26, 2025

The rest Darnold's contract details were expected. His $13.4 million cap hit in 2025 is low considering the maximum value of the deal, and most of his base salary is allocated to the following two seasons if Darnold performs well and is kept on the roster. Two void years (2028 and 2029) tacked onto the end of the deal helped spread out the money.

Considering Darnold is still relatively unproven as a long-term franchise quarterback, it makes sense the team would want to give itself a way out of the deal early on. Seattle hopes they won't need to exercise that ability, of course, but it makes sense given the situation.

If OTC's version of the contract is correct, the Seahawks still have $36.3 million in 2025 cap space. With free agency winding down, it's very possible some of that money is allocated to extensions for 2022 draft picks or other players on the roster. That would make Darnold's deal especially team-friendly as the Seahawks try to lock down some of their top players.

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