3-years, $105 million for the reigning Comeback Player of the Year– Geno Smith has cashed in on his unexpected performance throughout 2022
SEATTLE, Wash.– If you told anyone a year ago that Geno Smith would’ve outplayed Russell Wilson in Seattle, they would’ve called you crazy. The no-question winners of the Seattle-Denver trade as of right now, the Seahawks have inked their 2022 quarterback Geno Smith to a large $105 million, 3-year contract solidifying Smith as their starter going forward.
Smith’s new contract gives him an average value of $35 million a year with $52 million being paid in the first year. This gives him a pay raise over the looming franchise tag deadline by around $3 million dollars in yearly value.
Smith came on strong out of left field during the 2022 season. After the Seahawks traded away their long term starter in Russell Wilson, questions came from all angles about who the starter in Seattle would be. The team acquired QB Drew Lock from the Broncos but he lost the role in training camp, giving the keys to Smith to lead the team from then on.
Geno Smith beat Russell Wilson in a Week 1 Monday Night matchup where he looked like a true star, delivering the iconic line, “they wrote me off, but I ain’t write back though” at the end of the game. Good quarterback play for Smith continued throughout the season putting the Seahawks in prime place to take a postseason spot. Although they lost in the Wild Card Round, it was an improvement on what the team looked like in the beginning of the season, with plenty of naysayers and doubts.
The 32-year old’s play didn’t go unnoticed either, earning himself a Pro-Bowl nod and winning AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year at the NFL Awards show. His deal is on par with most new QB contracts in the league and isn’t too out there.
While the QB market is growing at a rapid rate, Smith’s play justifies his big contract, especially with the pieces the Seahawks have moving forward. Smith, previously spending time on the Chargers, Giants, and Jets got his first meaningful game action in Seattle since the early parts of his career in New York.
Geno Smith was a second round draft pick by the Jets in 2013 out of the University of West Virginia. Smith struggled to much of anything early on in his career, partially by being placed in a bad Jets system, but also dealing with constant turnover issues, injuries, and simply bad quarterback play.
Pete Carroll, the Seahawks head coach stated that Smith was in a way “betting on himself” with his new contract. Smith was in a favorable position after posting a great season but also being an impending free agent for the 2023 offseason, but Carroll emphasized that he must be continue to be a top-tier quarterback.
“When you guys get your chance and you really dig in, you’ll see that it is leaning that way, where we’re counting on him coming through and doing the things that he was able to do last year, and if he does that, he’s going to get rewarded,” Carroll said to Seattle Sports 710-AM. “We know that if he’s able to come back and do that, he’s going to have a great season and we’re going to be in great shape. We’re going to have a real chance to be at our best.
“So it is heavily structured that way, and I know he’s gambling a little bit in that sense on himself.”
Smith’s new contract guarantees him $40 million, a lofty price for a quarterback with one good year under his belt. But, based off that one good year, the Seahawks are in good shape for the future. A fresh team, continued pieces on offense, and a growingly admirable defense has got Pete Carroll and company in a good spot just a season after being counted out as a rebuilding team.
