Why Seahawks made controversial Sam Darnold decision after winning Super Bowl

A March report claimed that the Seattle Seahawks would not be signing Super Bowl champion quarterback Sam Darnold to a contract extension this offseason because "the Seahawks do not extend contracts with more than one season remaining -- a nonnegotiable team policy on which they've held firm over the years." 

Nevertheless, some have wondered if the Seahawks could change their minds about Darnold's deal after the club made Jaxon Smith-Njigba the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver when the two sides agreed to a four-year, $168.6M contract that included over $120M guaranteed. According to NFL insider Dan Graziano of ESPN, it sounds like Darnold will have to be happy with the terms of the three-year, $100.5M deal he signed to join the Seahawks last offseason. 

Seahawks don't think Sam Darnold deserves a raise after winning the Super Bowl?

"The short answer is that they believe he's already appropriately compensated," Graziano wrote about the Seahawks' feelings of Darnold's existing deal. "Darnold has two years left on his contract. He's scheduled to earn $27.5M in 2026 and $35.5M in 2027. And while there are 14 quarterbacks who average more annual salary than Darnold and didn't just win the Super Bowl, this is about the way the Seahawks view the position and its place in roster building and salary cap management."

For what it's worth, Darnold has given no indication he is unhappy to play on his current contract through at least January 2027. Additionally, the StatMuse website shows that he committed a league-worst 20 turnovers during his first regular season with the Seahawks. 

The Seahawks defense and running back Kenneth Walker III were the true MVPs of Seattle's Super Bowl LX win over the New England Patriots. Seattle let Walker leave via free agency back in March, and he is now a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. 

The Seahawks don't want to make this mistake with Sam Darnold, any quarterback

Graziano mentioned that the Seahawks are "determined to not overvalue the position relative to the specific player involved" as it pertains to their QB1. In short, Darnold may have to play like an MVP from Week 1 through the playoffs for the Seahawks to make him one of the league's highest-paid quarterbacks next year. 

"Darnold also made $4M in incentive bonuses as a result of his 2025 performance and Super Bowl title," Graziano added. "So he was rewarded in a way. With two years left on the contract, sure, the Seahawks could have extended him. But that would have gone against the very principles that, they believe, helped them build a Super Bowl champion roster. Championships are validation. If anything, winning it all helped convince Seattle that it was handling the quarterback business the right way all along."