Geno Smith is set to begin his third season as the Seattle Seahawks’ full-time starting quarterback. It could very well be his last.
The veteran journeyman shocked those around the football world back in 2022 by leading Seattle to a playoff appearance en route to winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.
Smith’s ability to up his game came directly on the heels of Seattle moving on from franchise legend Russell Wilson. It also netted the former New York Jets third-round pick a three-year, $75 million contract extension back in March of 2023.
For a player in Smith who threw 34 touchdowns compared to 37 interceptions in parts of eight seasons before that 2022 breakout, this was a feel-good story.
Entering his Age-34 season, there are now renewed questions about Smith’s future in Seattle. The West Virginia product confirmed during media availability that his representatives approached Seattle’s brass about a new contract this past offseason.
“Yeah, I mean, that’s true,’’ Smith said, via The Seattle Times. “That’s just normal business. Nothing wrong with that.’’
A report surfaced last month indicating that this was indeed the case. For Smith, it’s all about playing the financial aspect of the game while understanding that Seattle might not view him as the long-term option at quarterback.
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Shortly after he was hired this past spring, new Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald didn’t necessarily commit to Smith as their starting quarterback this season.
Things have obviously changed since. Smith is entrenched in as the starter after Seattle avoided quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. Though, this might not be a long-term marriage.
Seattle Seahawks Lack Of Commitment To Geno Smith
The finances need to be looked at first. Smith’s camp seemingly approached Seattle’s brass in order to receive more guarantees moving forward. That is to say, restructuring his deal to make it more likely Smith is in the Pacific Northwest beyond this season.
As currently structured, the Seahawks can get out of Smith’s contract next March with a mere $13.5 million dead cap hit. Said dead cap hit this season stands at $39.7 million, per Spotrac.
Regardless of how Seattle’s new coaching staff feels about Smith privately, it was just not financially feasible for general manager John Schneider to move on from the quarterback.
Speaking of finances, Smith’s cap hit stands at $26.4 million in 2024. That’s a bargain with half of the NFL’s 32 starting quarterbacks earning $40-plus million on an annual basis.
Smith’s cap hit increases to $38.5 million next season. Seattle’s decision not to extend or restructure his deal seems to suggest that Smith is heading into the 2024 season as a lame duck. One could say, he’s playing for his job.
The Internal Politics Of Geno Smith’s Situation With The Seahawks
By all accounts, Smith has performed extremely well during training camp and the preseason portion of the NFL schedule. His teammates continues to speak glowingly of him.
"Geno has been on one in camp," cornerback Devon Witherspoon said, via the Seahawks official website. "He's definitely been on top of his game. This year it's going to be like, who knows what he's capable of. I don't want to say sky's the limit, because I don't place a limit on it. We're all watching and waiting just like everybody else."
Witherspoon and Seattle’s defense went up against Smith on a near-daily basis throughout training camp. They know better than almost everyone else about how he’s looked.
Smith’s top wide receiver agrees.
"You can just see his confidence growing, just by how he's throwing the ball,” DK Metcalf said. “He's no-looking at some passes during practice, his swagger on the field, or the way he talks. I think it's going to be a fun year just by how he's approached this offseason and how he's carried himself throughout this whole offseason."
It’s not that Smith hasn’t been good during his two-year stint as the Seahawks’ starter. This span has seen him throw for north of 7,900 yards with 50 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. Rather, it’s all about his teammates seeing more from him heading into the 2024 season.
So, why the hold up in talks when it comes to Seattle’s brass? It’s about a lot more than performance on the field. It’s about building for the short term with an eye on the long term. Schneider and Co. are attempting to find a happy medium in that regard.
“There’s a lot of people that want contract extensions,’ Schneider said. That’s part of the job. It happens every year, all the time.’’
De we see a disconnect here? It’s more than reasonable to come to that conclusion. Players know what is going on with their teammates and the front office. They take that into account. This could very well be the case in Seattle right now.
The Sam Howell Effect
This is a major backdrop in Seattle. The Seahawks acquired Howell — a fifth round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft — from the Washington Commanders this past spring.
Howell, 23, started 17 games for Washington a season ago. He threw a league-high 21 interceptions while completing 63 percent of his passes and throwing for nearly 4,000 yards. Howell also connected on 21 touchdowns while showing some flashes.
A decade younger than Smith, there was no reason for Seattle not to take a chance on Howell.
Does this mean he’s the heir-apparent to Smith? Obviously not. It just gives the Seahawks another option and potentially more bargaining room in future contract talks with Smith.
Competing Timelines And The Bottom Line
The Seahawks have a long-held precedent of not redoing contracts that have more than a year remaining on them. It had in the past created issues with the likes of franchise legends Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas, among others.
That’s the modus operandi of Schneider. It helps create long-term flexibility. This is no more true than right now given Seattle’s current circ*mstances.
ForbesSeattle Seahawks on the Forbes NFL Team Valuations List
The Seahawks can’t be seen as realistic contenders with the defending conference champion San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West. They fell behind the Los Angeles Rams in the division last season.
As currently constructed, there is no real reason to believe this will change in 2024. If it does with Smith at the helm, the talking points become different. It would be a good problem to have.
For now, Smith heads into the 2024 season pretty much playing for his job with the Seahawks. This opens up a can of worms moving forward.
