Is Sam Darnold worth $55M per year? Wyman & Bob’s take

One of the big storylines hovering on the horizon for the Seattle Seahawks is whether they will sign Sam Darnold to a long-term extension next offseason.

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The Seahawks have a longstanding policy of not extending contracts with more than a year remaining on a current deal, so even after Darnold helped deliver a Super Bowl title in his first season as Seattle’s quarterback, he’s unlikely to receive a new contract from the team this summer. As a result, he’ll likely play 2026 on the same three-year, $100.5 million deal he inked back in March 2025.

Next offseason, however, is when things could get interesting.

If Darnold has another strong season this fall, he could be in line for a new deal somewhere around $50 million to $55 million per year in average annual value, as ESPN’s Bill Barnwell told Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy last week.

So, would Darnold be worth that price tag? Former NFL linebacker Dave Wyman and Bob Stelton of Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob both think so, as they discussed in a recent video.

“I don’t think Sam Darnold and $55 million was a conversation we were having a couple years ago, but a Super Bowl later, I think he’s worth it,” Stelton said.

There are currently 12 NFL quarterbacks with contracts worth upward of $50 million in AAV, including seven with an AAV of at least $55 million, according to Over The Cap. And with a ballooning salary cap, those numbers are sure to increase in the coming years, as NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah told Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk last month.

Darnold currently ranks 15th among quarterbacks with a $33.5 million AAV. There’s a major gap between him and the two quarterbacks directly above him in on the list – Indianapolis Colts QB Daniel Jones at No. 14 ($44 million AAV) and Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson at No. 13 ($46 million AAV).

“I think ($55 million) is gonna be a low-sounding number here very quickly,” Wyman said of the skyrocketing QB market. “That’s just the way it is. It’s just something you’re gonna have to get used to. … I don’t think he’s gonna demand it, that’s for sure. But I do think that if he has a similar type of year, takes a little bit better care of the ball, he’s worth $55 million.”

A closer look

As Stelton pointed out, the 29-year-old Darnold is underpaid relative to his production.

Darnold earned his second straight Pro Bowl nod last season after finishing fifth in the NFL in passing yardage (4,048), second in yards per pass attempt (8.5) and tied for seventh in completion rate (67.7%). He committed a league-high 20 turnovers, but closed with four consecutive turnover-free games from Week 18 through the Super Bowl.

Darnold had likely the best performance of his career in the NFC title game, making a slew of big-time throws while passing for 346 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in Seattle’s 31-27 win over the archrival Los Angeles Rams.

And yet, of the 20 NFL quarterbacks who made at least 20 combined starts over the past two seasons and are on non-rookie contracts, Darnold is one of just three who have never had a contract worth at least $45 million in AAV. The others are former Seahawks QB Geno Smith and Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield – the latter of whom is negotiating for an extension this offseason.

“In football dollars, for a starting quarterback, a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, he’s underpaid,” Stelton said.

“He was fantastic (last year),” Stelton added. “Yeah, some turnovers. He had 14 interceptions on the year, but four of them happened in one game. … You can’t remove that. It happened. But he was tremendous. He completed almost 68% of his passes (and had) over 4,000 yards passing. He’s not an ego guy who’s gonna be, let me cook, let me chuck it all over the yard. Let me do what’s gonna help us win – that’s his approach.

“There’s still people out there that need to be shown one more year before you would make that investment, and that’s fine. But I’m telling you, man. If he has another year like he just had – which isn’t the greatest in history, but it was a solid year – that price tag could go up in another year.”

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