Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold will actually lose money for winning the Super Bowl.
That’s because of California’s so-called “jock tax” coming in at a higher total than the bonus the NFL awards players who win the Super Bowl.
The big picture: After helping the Seahawks to their 29-13 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday in Santa Clara, the NFL awarded Darnold and the other Super Bowl winners with a $178,000 bonus.
- Darnold, however, will owe around $249,000 in taxes to California in 2026, according to a report from Sportico.
Driving the news: Darnold signed a three-year contract worth $105 million ahead of the 2025 season. The contract includes a $2.5 million bonus for winning the Super Bowl.
- California’s marginal tax rate of 13.3% on income over $1 million, which increases to 14.6% when including the State Disability Insurance rate. Darnold also has to pay a 37% rate for his federal taxes.
- California also has a jock tax that hits professional athletes for their “duty days” that they spent in the state – meaning the number of days where athletes perform work-related activities. Darnold has at least eight duty days to pay for due to his trip to Santa Clara for the Super Bowl.
- Assuming Darnold is still playing for the Seahawks next season, he will accrue additional duty days if the Seahawks play the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams in California. While those games will likely occur this year, the NFL season ends in early January, meaning the games could potentially be played in 2027.
What we’re watching: With all the duty days taken into consideration, Sportico projects that Darnold will owe around $249,000 in taxes to California in 2026, around $70,000 more than he actually took home from the NFL for winning the Super Bowl.
