Why Seahawks did not reward Sam Darnold with a pay raise for Super Bowl win

Why Seahawks did not reward Sam Darnold with a pay raise for Super Bowl win originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl 60, and they did so after signing Sam Darnold for a relatively cheap deal in free agency compared to what other Super Bowl-winning QBs are making.

And after the Super Bowl win, it was a natural wonder for fans if the Seahawks would reward Darnold as the Philadelphia Eagles did with Saquon Barkley last year after their Super Bowl win.

However, the Seahawks did not extend Darnold or give him a pay raise. ESPN's Dan Graziano revealed why the Seahawks made this decision, and it's a reasonable answer for the franchise's philosophy.

Why Sam Darnold did not receive a pay raise after Seahawks Super Bowl win

"With two years left on the contract, sure, the Seahawks could have extended him," Graziano writes. "But that would have gone against the very principles that, they believe, helped them build a Super Bowl champion roster."

Seattle did not spend a ton on the quarterback position, giving Darnold a $33.5 million per-year deal that was cheap enough that they could still go out and sign Cooper Kupp and DeMarcus Lawrence in free agency.

This roster-building philosophy worked out great for the Seahawks in 2025, so why would they change it up just because they won the Super Bowl?

And, while Darnold helped them get to the Super Bowl and win their second title, it's not like he won Super Bowl MVP and was the sole reason for their success.

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When the Eagles spent the extra money on Barkley, it was because he recorded the most rushing yards of any player in a single season (regular season and playoffs). Darnold didn't set any records, nor was he the sole reason for their success this past year.

He was a big contributor and is more than deserving of the $4 million in incentives he got for this Super Bowl-winning season. But when it comes to landing a big extension, the Seahawks team-building philosophy doesn't include such a pay raise.

The Seahawks don't want to overspend on a QB, unless that QB was in the Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, or Josh Allen tier of QBs.

Darnold is a good QB, but not in the same category as those perennial MVP candidates. So, even though he might've deserved a pay raise, the Seahawks team-building philosophy doesn't include paying a QB like Darnold that much money.