Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is entering a critical season. After winning Super Bowl LX, immediately repaying the Seahawks for showing faith in him, he'll now enter the second of a three-year contract he signed last offseason. Darnold will expect to sign a contract extension next summer, because he won't want to play on an expiring deal.
Darnold and his representation will be paying close attention to all of the happenings across the quarterback market. A big domino dropped on Tuesday. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed quarterback Baker Mayfield to a three-year, $165 million, according to various reports.
Buccaneers, QB Baker Mayfield agree to a three-year, $165M extension. (via @RapSheet, @AdamSchefter) pic.twitter.com/Ch7im4kvPQ
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2026
It's
the largest contract in Buccaneers history. Mayfield will earn an average of $55 million per season throughout the duration of the extension, putting him in the same salary tier as Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love. You can officially consider $55 million annually the starting point for Darnold's extension talks.
None of Mayfield, Lawrence, or Love have won a Super Bowl. How Darnold performs throughout 2026 will have the biggest impact on the direction of his contract negotiations. If Darnold performs in similar fashion to 2025, he'll possess a strong argument to surpass that $55 million annual figure.
The Darnold contract discussions will be worth monitoring.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: The Baker Mayfield contract will have an impact on QB Sam Darnold
