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Over the last few days, the offseason topic surrounding the Seattle Seahawks has been Sam Darnold and what his future contract would look like as he enters Year 2 of a three-year deal.

Seattle likely won’t work out an extension with Darnold until next year, given that they have other players who need an extension. Nonetheless, that doesn’t stop the media from speculating on what the future holds for Darnold.

During a May 14 appearance on Seattle Sports, NFL Network Analyst and former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah was asked whether he sees the Seahawks star crossing into the $50 million-per-year salary range that some of the upper echelon QBs are earning.

“I think he’s heading in that direction,” Jeremiah said on “Brock & Salk.” “If [the Seahawks are] going to stick to their guns on their policy and he comes out and has a year that approaches what he did last year, I would say he’s going to land in that ballpark.

“I think he’s also going to get the benefit of who he is as a person. It’s like, ‘OK, I don’t feel super comfortable paying this, but he’s going to allow me to feel a little more comfortable because of who he is and how he’s viewed.'”

Last season, Darnold posted a 79.3 overall PFF grade while throwing for 4,048 passing yards and 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Moreover, he recorded 29 big-time throws and 19 turnover-worthy plays. As Jeremiah said, if he replicates this production in the 2026 season, Darnold could be heading toward a hefty payday. 

Can Sam Darnold, Seahawks Get Win-Win Situation?

Furthermore, Jeremiah noted that the Seahawks and Darnold can have the best of both worlds, with the quarterback breaking into the $50 million-per-year salary range and Seattle getting a team-friendly deal.

“I think both things can be true,“ Jeremiah added. “I think [Darnold] can get into that $50 million range, and I think that could still, at the time he does it a year from now, be cutting the team a discount with where the numbers are going or where they are. It is what it is.

“It just feels like every year when you get these quarterback numbers, everybody freaks out, and you just have to remind everybody this league is not making any less money. The salary cap is going to continue to go up, and these quarterback numbers are going to continue to go up. We’re going to have a $100 million quarterback AAV before it’s all said and done.

“So I just think the numbers that freak people out now, a year from now, you’ll be like, ‘Yeah, we’ll do that.'”

Can Seattle Still Compete With a QB Earning $50M-Plus?

The question will be whether the Seahawks can still be a Super Bowl contender with Darnold making $50 million-plus per season. Jeremiah believes Seattle can, but it will hinge on one thing.

“I think it puts a lot more stress on your ability to continue to do what they’ve done in the draft,“ Jeremiah said. “So if you tell me they’re going to be able to repeat the success they’ve had in the draft the last few years and the next few years, I’d say, ‘Yeah, you can. That’s the formula. That’s how you do it.’

“But I think you could look at Kansas City and say, ‘OK, well, he’s not Patrick Mahomes,‘ but that wasn’t a Patrick Mahomes-driven team in the last couple of Super Bowls. They still were able to draft extremely well on the defensive side of the ball. That’s where it would lie. [Seahawks general manager John Schneider is] going to have to continue to just knock it out of the park.”