The Seattle Seahawks were quite aggressive in their pursuit of Sam Darnold. They knew that they had to spend big bucks to lure him away from the Minnesota Vikings, giving him a three-year, $100.5 million deal in free agency.
However, they didn't stop there. They included several performance-based incentives in his deal to give him a chance to make even more money. So far, that has worked like a charm, as he's already netted $2 million in incentives.
As reported by Spotrac's Michael Ginnitti, the former New York Jets draft picks added even more to their pockets in the big win over the San Francisco 49ers. To be more accurate, he's officially half a million bucks richer.
Seattle Seahawks QB1 Sam Darnold keeps cashing in on his incentives
"A #Seahawks win tonight in which Sam Darnold takes 70% of the offensive snaps secures him a $500,000 bonus. The 28-year-old has already added $2M of incentives in 2025," Ginnitti wrote on X.
The Niners have helped Darnold make plenty of cash this season. Thanks to his performance in the regular-season finale, he earned $500,000 for topping the 4,000-passing yard mark (4,048) and an additional $500,000 for having a completion percentage greater than 67.5 percent (67.7 percent).
Darnold also made $500,000 by helping the Seahawks finish the season in the top 10 in total offense (eighth). Last but not least, he earned another $500,000 when the team secured a playoff berth.
The USC product can keep stacking the bricks with more wins in the playoffs. He can add another $500,000 to his pocket if the Seahawks win the NFC Championship Game and he plays at least 70 percent of the snaps, and his total playoff bonus can rise all the way to $2.5 million if the Seahawks win the Super Bowl. Of course, it's not just about the money, but that type of incentive never hurts.
Darnold's availability was a major concern ahead of the game. He couldn't do much in practice because of an oblique injury, and even though he always claimed he was going to play, there was a chance Drew Lock would have to take his place.
Fortunately for the team, that wasn't necessary. The defense set the tone early, and Darnold didn't have to do that much to help the team cruise to an easy win. That may not be the case next week, but at least he finished the game relatively untouched and will have some time to get back to as close to full strength as possible.