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The Seahawks signed Sam Darnold to a reported three-year, $100.5 million deal. But according to a report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, that deal could end up being shorter and for far less money.
Florio reported Sunday that Darnold’s deal carries $37.5 million guaranteed this season, but that the Seahawks could walk away from the deal after 2025 without any money left on the books. The second year of the contract is worth $27.5 million with a $17.5 million injury guarantee. So unless Darnold suffers an injury, the Seahawks can relieve themselves of the deal by cutting Darnold before the week after of the upcoming Super Bowl, which is when the $27.5 million for 2026 becomes fully guaranteed. Additionally, none of Darnold’s $35.5 million in 2027 is guaranteed.
“Jason (Fitzgerald) of Over The Cap tweeted out (that) this is not unusual for how the Seahawks have structured their deals or new contracts,” said Stacy Rost of Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, “that most of the guaranteed money is going to be technically from that first year, and then you’re going to have injury guarantees beyond that.”
Rost and co-host Michael Bumpus further discussed what Darnold’s reported contract structure says about how the Seahawks feel about him.
“It says we saw one year, and we believe in you and we’re going to give you an opportunity to make some money, but you got to go out there and you have to prove it” said Bumpus, a CW football analyst and former NFL wide receiver. “So I think that the people who weren’t too excited about this acquisition can kind of calm down a little. It’s essentially a one-year trial.”
There are questions as to whether or not Darnold’s breakthrough 2024 campaign was truly indicative of the type of quarterback he can be. The former No. 3 overall pick threw for 4,319 yards and 35 TDs while leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record and playoff berth, but he struggled in their season finale with the NFC North title on the line and again the next week during the first round of playoffs.
What led QB Sam Darnold to sign with Seattle Seahawks
His six prior pro seasons were filled mostly with struggles and saw two different teams move on from him as a starter.
“This tells Seahawk fans that we think we found our guy, but we feel just like you in a sense,” Bumpus said of the contract. “The last two games didn’t really look good. We’ve only seen this really play for 14, 15 games. You got to go out there and prove it. It’s a prove-it type of deal, but I think it’s appropriate for the situation.”
As Rost pointed out, the deal not only saved the Seahawks money over what former starter Geno Smith was looking for in an extension, but it also keeps their options open.
“Maybe they in 2026, in that draft class, find a guy that they fall in love with,” she said.
And while the deal is team-friendly, the Seahawks in two years could find themselves facing a familiar issue if Darnold plays well.
“If Sam Darnold balls out … it would also mean that heading into 2027 we’d be in a similar situation as we were with Geno Smith – though Darnold would be younger – where he and his agent are looking for more guaranteed money (and) you’re probably going to have to extend him after 2026,” Rost said. “So (all of this is) just something to kind of keep in your back pocket when you’re thinking about Sam Darnold’s season.”
Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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