At the start of the new league year, the Seattle Seahawks surprised the rest of the NFL by trading away quarterback Geno Smith for a third-round pick and signing 2024 breakout star Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract.
The team was widely criticized for handing out what appeared to be a sizable financial commitment to Darnold instead of simply paying the proven commodity in Smith. However, there was some confusion over how much of Darnold's deal was fully guaranteed.
ESPN released a full breakdown of the former No. 3 overall pick's contract, clarifying a few conflicting reports about the bonus structure. Darnold's bonus is broken up by year so that the Seahawks could potentially get out of it after one season.
A large chunk of the bonus ($15 million) is due in 2026, which the team could avoid by cutting Darnold before February 13, or trading him in March.
"The discrepancy was significant," wrote ESPN's Brady Henderson. "Had the bonus already been fully guaranteed, the Seahawks would have to eat $40.6 million in dead money if they were to cut Darnold after one season, a potentially prohibitive amount. The actual number is $25.6 million, still hefty but not an unreasonable sum if Darnold's debut season in Seattle were to go badly awry."
This is a good example of how contract figures are often misleading, especially in the NFL. While Darnold's contract is nothing to sneeze at, it's not as much of a long-term commitment as was initially reported.
"This means that what was true with Geno Smith after he signed his Seahawks contract in 2023 is also true with Darnold now: If he wants to see the second year of that deal, he'll have to earn it," Henderson concluded.
If Darnold performs next season, he'll have no problem getting his money. If he falls short, though, the Seahawks can begin looking for yet another quarterback in 2026.
