On Sunday night, the Seattle Seahawks dominated the New England Patriots, winning 29-13 to capture Super Bowl 60.
Sam Darnold has been an excellent addition to the Seahawks’ offense and was one of the key reasons for the team’s success this season. However, despite winning the biggest game of the year, Darnold is set to lose $249,000. Here’s why.
Why Sam Darnold Forfeited $249,000 Following Super Bowl 60 Victory
Darnold is set to lose $249,000 due to California taxes. As part of winning the Super Bowl, every player on the championship team receives a $178,000 bonus, along with the Lombardi Trophy.
However, Alex Worth of talkSPORT noted that the bonus is not as straightforward as it seems. Players are taxed on the payout, and at a significant rate:
“The bonus is classed as ‘regular income’, meaning that federal tax will be paid on it. It is projected that they will take home between $89,384 and $109,248, meaning each player is likely to lose $67,616 in tax, but Darnold is a different story. The Super Bowl-winning QB is a California resident, meaning he is set to pay a staggering $249,000 in income tax. It is an astonishing $71,000 net loss for helping Seattle win their second Super Bowl in franchise history.”
A $71,000 loss is a small price to pay for winning a Super Bowl. Beyond the championship itself, the victory could boost Darnold’s value through endorsements and potentially lead to a contract extension, as he still has two years remaining on the three-year, $100,500,000 deal he signed last offseason.
Additionally, Darnold earned a $2,500,000 incentive in his contract for winning the Super Bowl. As a result, the California tax hit will have little overall impact on his total earnings from the game.
With the Super Bowl win, Darnold’s road to redemption appears complete. Once labeled a bust after being selected third overall by the New York Jets in the 2018 NFL Draft, he later bounced around as a backup with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers before rediscovering his form with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 and winning a Super Bowl this season.
In PFSN’s NFL Quarterback Impact Metric, Darnold ranked as the No. 13 quarterback in the regular season with an impact score of 78.7 and a letter grade of C+. He completed 67.7% of his passes for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He also rushed 35 times for 95 yards without a touchdown.
In three playoff games, Darnold completed 61.5% of his passes for 672 yards and five touchdowns. He was not as sharp in the Super Bowl as he had been earlier in the postseason, but it did not matter. The Seahawks won, and Darnold is now a Super Bowl champion.
