Bet he’s wishing the Super Bowl was in Miami.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold just won his first Super Bowl after many believed his career may never really get off the ground.
Darnold was drafted by the New York Jets (which is a career killer right out of the gate) back in 2018, before being traded to the Carolina Panthers after three seasons. He spent two seasons in Carolina, where he would end up sharing starting QB duties with Cam Newton and Baker Mayfield, before signing with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 to serve as a backup to Brock Purdy.
He managed to resurrect his career last year though, when Darnold signed with the Minnesota Vikings and got the starting job after J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury during the preseason.
Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record in the regular season before a rough performance in the NFC wild card round ended their Super Bowl hopes. But he was nominated for AP Comeback Player of the Year and his resurgence was enough for the Seattle Seahawks to sign Darnold this past offseason to replace Geno Smith, who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders.
It’s safe to say the Seahawks won that trade by a pretty wide margin: While Smith and the Raiders were the worst team in the NFL, the Seahawks dominated the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl and gave Darnold his first championship ring – which no doubt came with a huge payday, right?
Well, not exactly.
As it turns out, Darnold may have won the Super Bowl but he actually LOST money on the game due to the game being held in the state of California.
Obviously California has one of the highest tax rates in the country. In addition to the top federal tax rate of 37%, the state income tax tops out at 14.6% on wages above $1 million.
The state is also one of many that have a “jock tax,” which taxes athletes from other states for “duty days” in the state. Those days include not only game days, but also travel days and practices held in California. The tax is calculated by taking the number of days spent in California as a portion of their total “duty days” during a season.
Darnold signed a 3-year, $105 million contract with the Seahawks, which included a $32 million signing bonus and a $5.3 million yearly base salary. And in addition, Seahawks players (like others in the NFL) get $58,500 for making the playoffs, $58,500 for winning the NFC West, $81,000 for winning the NFC Championship, and $178,000 for winning the Super Bowl.
In addition to the two weeks Darnold spent in California for the Super Bowl, the Seahawks also played a game against the Los Angeles Rams that will add to his tax bill. The result is that Darnold will owe the state of California more than $200,000 for the privilege of winning the Super Bowl in their state – more than the $178,000 check he’ll take home for the victory.
Absolutely insane.
And look, I’m not saying anybody should feel sorry for a Super Bowl winning athlete who’s making an average of $35 million per year. There’s no doubt he’s happy to write the check to the Golden State if it means he gets a Super Bowl ring.
Maybe it’s more of a reflection of the relatively small check players get for winning a Super Bowl. But man, it’s not a great look when a player has to pay to win the Super Bowl.
