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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: Sam Darnold #14 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after defeating the New England Patriots 29-13 to win Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Seattle Seahawks did the unthinkable: after reshaping their roster and bringing in a new starting quarterback, they surged forward, dominating the league en route to a Super Bowl victory with one of the league’s younger rosters. Even after winning a championship and losing some key pieces from that run this offseason, the Seahawks believe they’re right in the mix to run it back and win it all again.

That aforementioned new starting quarterback was Sam Darnold. The former No. 3 overall pick out of USC by the Jets in 2018, Darnold flamed out in New York, certainly not helped by the dysfunction in that franchise. He spent some brief time in Carolina — a move that went quite poorly for the Panthers — before backing up Brock Purdy in San Francisco for a year. His breakout came in Minnesota in 2024, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns and leading the Vikings to the playoffs.

Off of that season, the Seahawks signed Darnold to a three-year, $33.5-million contract with $55 million in total guarantees. That average annual value ranks just 15th in the league among quarterbacks. After winning a Super Bowl with Seattle in his first season, many expected Darnold to receive an extension, both to boost his pay and to lock him down for a longer period.

But that hasn’t happened yet, and one ESPN insider believes he knows why.

ESPN Insider Dan Graziano on the Seattle Seahawks’ Approach to QB Sam Darnold’s Contract Situation

GettySANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 08: Sam Darnold #14 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. The Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

“The short answer is that they believe he’s already appropriately compensated,” Graziano wrote on Tuesday. “Darnold has two years left on his contract. He’s scheduled to earn $27.5 million in 2026 and $35.5 million 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.”

“It’s not that the Seahawks undervalue the [quarterback position]. Darnold’s $37.9 million 2026 cap number is the highest on the team, even if it’s only the eighth highest among quarterbacks leaguewide. It’s that they’re determined to not overvalue the position relative to the specific player involved. If the Seahawks had Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen — a player who was winning division titles and MVP awards all the time — then sure, they’d be happy to pay top-of-market money and figure out the rest.”

Graziano on the Seahawks’ Cautious Approach to Paying Quarterbacks

“But what the Seahawks have shown since they traded Russell Wilson after the 2021 season is that they don’t want to pay top-of-market quarterback money to a quarterback who isn’t a top-of-market player. They were able to sign Darnold for $33.5 million per year when he was an unrestricted free agent coming off a 14-win season in Minnesota. No one else was bidding more. And as a result of getting a good starting quarterback for reasonable money, they were able to build out the rest of their roster in a way that made it championship-caliber. Could the Seahawks have signed DeMarcus Lawrence or Cooper Kupp last offseason if their quarterback’s cap number had been $50 million? It would have at least been tougher.”

“Darnold also made $4 million in incentive bonuses as a result of his 2025 performance and Super Bowl title. 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.”