Pat McAfee breaks down Seahawks’ new deal with Sam Darnold

Pat McAfee wonders about Sam Darnold’s contract with the Seahawks.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold reacts after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Early in free agency, Sam Darnold signed a three-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks worth up to $100.5 million this offseason. His addition was expected as soon as the Seahawks moved on from Geno Smith and his contract was reasonable for both sides — although it seems to protect the franchise quite a bit more than Darnold.

That point was discussed on The Pat McAfee Show, who broke down the deal. McAfee brings up a report from Mike Florio, which said the Seahawks can get out of the Darnold deal after this season — essentially making it a one-year, $37.5 million contract. Following the 2025 season, there will be an option the team can pick up, keeping Darnold in Seattle for two more years — at $65 million.

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McAfee wondered aloud why Darnold would agree to these terms, asking if other teams were offering something similar.

From there, he and his crew started to compare the contract to what Daniel Jones and Derek Carr had with their previous teams. As reported by Florio, Darnold has guarantees for injury, so if he struggles, there’s a chance he could get benched to prevent the team from having to pay out the remainder of the deal.

McAfee said this happened to Carr with the Las Vegas Raiders, who wouldn’t even let him in the building. It worked out for Carr, who landed a big deal with the New Orleans Saints. Still, it was an awkward situation where he couldn’t even say his goodbyes.

Of course, everyone in Seattle is hoping this deal ends far differently than the contracts Jones and Carr had. If so, the relationship between the franchise and quarterback should be a long one. If not, the team is protected whereas Darnold is gambling on himself.

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