Sam Hartman's contract proves the Commanders see something in him

Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman didn't get selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he signed a contract shortly afterward with the Washington Commanders. 

Not only did Hartman find a home, but he landed with a team that clearly believes in him based on the amount of guaranteed money it was willing to give him despite his status as an undrafted free agent.

NFL Network Tom Pelissero shared that it was "one of the biggest guarantees among undrafted free agents: A $20,000 signing bonus and $225,000 base salary guarantee. A sign Hartman is in Washington’s plans for 2024."

Hartman has virtually no chance of starting for Washington with the Commanders selecting LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick. However, Hartman will compete for a job with the likes of Marcus Mariota, Jeff Driskel and Jake Fromm to be either the backup to Daniels or QB3. 

While Hartman didn't help himself in the draft process by going 7-of-25 passing for 69 yards with one interception at the Senior Bowl, he has loads of solid game tape from his six-year college career. 

Hartman spent five seasons with Wake Forest before transferring to Notre Dame last season. 

The 24-year-old threw for 12,967 yards with 110 touchdown passes and 41 interceptions at Wake Forest. At Notre Dame, Hartman had a 9-3 record while throwing for 2,689 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. 

In all, Hartman ranks fifth all-time in NCAA history in passing yards with 15,656 and is tied for third all-time in passing touchdowns with 134.

The odds of any undrafted free agent having a long and significant career are never great, but the fact Washington was willing to guarantee the 6-foot-1, 211-pound Hartman a sizable sum shows it sees something in him that other teams didn't.