With his new $100 million plus contract under his belt, new Seahawks QB Sam Darnold will have little time to prove he is worth the money in the wake of newly drafted QB Jalen Milroe, and may only have a year to prove it. $55 million guaranteed, $33.5 million AAV, Darnold cannot waste any time in proving he isn't just the next Daniel Jones.
Bad contracts in the NFL are not a rare occurrence, and the most recent big bucks bust in the league was Daniel Jones’ four year $160 million deal with the Giants in 2023, and eventually was cut, leaving an abundance of dead money lying around for New York, and a hefty $50 million paycheck to pay out to the former first rounder. But after the Seahawks granted Sam Darnold his three year $100.5 million deal during this year's free agency, the pressure is one more than ever as he has a lot of money to his name to prove he can be the man for the next three years.
Even though the pressure was already building due to his giant contract, drafting Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe only added more pressure onto Darnold’s back, and may cut his time short in Seattle if Milroe manages to take his place. Milroe was talked about as one of the best QB’s in the draft, and arguably the QB with the highest potential, a steal for a team like Seattle who are building for the future perfectly. And with training camp ahead, and some already exciting looks from Milroe, his chances of beating out Darnold are getting bigger and bigger, and could take his spot if Darnold doesn't show up.
Regardless of the signing being a risky move for Seattle after only one good season with the Vikings, Darnold’s contract structure opens the door for them to move him on after year one, but would favour him being their starter for at least two years. But aside from the no dead money after year one, and easy way out with Milroe, Darnold will want to keep his spot, but will probably only have a one season window. A huge salary, a young exciting QB, and a raucous fanbase in desperate need of a QB1, the pressure only kept on mounting for Darnold, and now only has a small window for both error and brilliance.
Comments