The Seattle Seahawks are headed to Super Bowl LX after a thrilling victory against their NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, in the NFC Championship Game.
Quarterback Sam Darnold led the way with 346 yards and three touchdowns on his 25-of-36 completed passes. He was also leading a second-straight team into the NFC Playoffs, after previously guiding the Minnesota Vikings to a successful 2024-25 season.
His team may have changed, but Darnold’s steady ability to guide an offense and help them find success seems to be something many teams are seeking when they look for their QB1. Due to Darnold’s recent achievement, he also cashed in on a hefty bonus.
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According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Darnold earned an additional $500,000 incentive for reaching the Super Bowl. That’s on top of other incentives for reaching the playoffs and getting wins in other rounds.
The 28-year-old quarterback signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal in March of last year to become part of the Seahawks. That deal arrived after spending one season with Minnesota in 2024, one with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023, two seasons with the Carolina Panthers, and three seasons to start his career with the New York Jets.
The signing has been fruitful for both Darnold and the Seahawks, as he’s helped them return to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in franchise history and first time since 2014 when Russell Wilson guided them back to the big game as defending champs.
It’s also been Darnold’s best season of his career, as he’s never appeared in the Super Bowl until now. While he wasn’t among NFL Most Valuable Player candidates, he’s now set himself apart from several other contenders, including the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey and Rams’ Matthew Stafford, in the postseason.
A win at Super Bowl LX could yield Darnold more incentives, and likely additional prizes if he captures that game’s prestigious MVP award. As of this writing, the Seahawks are 4.5-point favorites to beat Drake Maye and the New England Patriots on Sunday, Feb. 8, and the winning team’s quarterback is often named MVP.
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