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Seattle Seahawks sign QB Geno Smith to 3-Year $105 Million Contract
Introduction
On Monday, March 6th, 2023 the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year Award winner in Geno Smith is returning back to the Seattle Seahawks on a fresh new 3 - year contract.
Contract Details
The Seattle Seahawks and their newly minted NFL Pro Bowl starting quarterback in Smith just came to agreements upon terms on a fresh 3 - year contract last Monday according to sources inside the Seattle Seahawks front office. The new 3 - year deal is worth up to approximately $105 million, and it also includes a big landing pad of $52 million over the course of just the 1st - NFL season.
Both sides of the negotiation table had exuded extreme optimism that a brand - new agreement would be reached by Smith and the Seattle Seahawks. Fortunately for all parties involved they beat the Tuesday 4:00 p. m. ET NFL deadline for all NFL franchises to slap on the franchise tag if they so chose to. Smith’s QB franchise tender would have carried a price tag of $32.416 million for the 2023 - 2024 NFL season.
Geno Smith
The now 32 - year - old quarterback in Geno Smith was one of the best and biggest shockers of the 2022 - 2023 NFL season, and his on the field performance earned him a spot on the NFC Pro Bowl team not to mention him winning the National Football League's Comeback Player of the Year Award following his many years serving as an NFL back - up quarterback.
Geno managed to win out in the Seattle Seahawks' starting QB sweepstakes after the franchise took a major blow with Russell Wilson getting traded to the Denver Broncos after his 10 - year NFL career all with the Seattle Seahawks. Smith beat out the widely assumed favorite, Drew Lock, and Geno delivered one of the best NFL seasons in the entire franchise history of the Seattle Seahawks.
With Smith only playing on a 1 - year contract worth only $3.5 million, Geno led the National Football League in completion percentage at 69.8 %, and he finished the season in 6th - in total QBR at 60.8, while finishing 4th - in the league in touchdown passes with 30 of those bad boys. He also led the Seattle Seahawks to a quite unexpected playoff position as the NFC's 7th - seed in the 2022 - 2023 NFL playoffs.
That is quite the jump from the 58.8 % completion percentage and the total QBR of 43.6 that Smith posted over his previous 46 - games before the start of the 2022 - 2023 NFL regular - season.
Geno managed to start all of the 17 - NFL - regular - season contests as well as Seattle Seahawks loss to the San Francisco 49ers during the NFL wild - card round of the playoffs. Smith did not miss a single pro snap, and he set the Seattle Seahawks' franchise single - season records for completion rate, completions at 399, and passing yards with 4,282, all which marks were previously set by Russell Wilson during a 16 - game NFL regular - season.
Geno Smith’s Turnovers
The overall turnovers became a major issue for Geno down the stretch last year. Smith threw 7 of his 11 interceptions over the last 7 - regular - season games during the 2022 - 2023 NFL season. He tried to do too much down the stretch of the regular - season.
After last season’s NFL playoff defeat to the San Francisco 49ers, an emotional Geno Smith stated that he wanted to complete his NFL career in Seattle with the Seahawks. He added that he wanted to, "repay," the franchise for accepting him at a time and place when he, "probably could have been out of the league."
Pete Carroll’s Overall Front Office Influence
The Seattle Seahawks head coach, Pete Carroll, and their general manager, John Schneider, specified at the recent National Football League scouting combine in Indianapolis, Indiana that re - signing Geno would not essentially preclude the Seattle Seahawks from picking a quarterback early on in next month's NFL draft. The Seattle Seahawks presently hold the 5th as well as the 20th - overall selection in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft. The Seattle Seahawks also possess 2 - 2nd - round choices.
As of now, Geno will become the one and only quarterback that the Seattle Seahawks have under contract for the nearing 2023 - 2024 NFL season. If the Seattle Seahawks want to re - sign Drew Lock, who is also set to become an unrestricted NFL free agent, in order to keep him as a back – up QB.
Geno earned himself an additional $3.5 million in incentives on his previous contract from last season, bringing his 2022 - 2023 NFL compensation all the way up to $7 million just for his on the field play. Smith has made closer to $17.5 million over his total of 10 - years playing in the NFL.
Before the 2022 - 2023 NFL season, Geno had spent the past 3 - seasons as Russell Wilson's back - up quarterback in Seattle with the Seahawks. The Seattle Seahawks re - signed Smith last April just 3 - months following him being arrested on suspicion of a DUI. Geno has still yet to be charged in that case as the D. A. and head prosecutors are awaiting his blood - test results from that incident.
Troublesome Welcome to the NFL
As a 2nd - round NFL draft pick by the New York Jets fresh out of the University of West Virginia back in the year of 2013, Geno initially struggled with his turnover production once he hit the NFL over the course of his 1st - 2 - seasons in the league.
Then he lost his starting quarterback job over the summer of 2015, and he was punched by a teammate during an infamous locker room fight in which he landed on the NFL’s injured reserve list with a seriously broken jaw. Smith spent the entire 2017 - 2018 NFL season with the New York Giants following his rookie contract becoming expired, and then he spent the 2018 - 2019 season with the San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers prior to signing with the Seattle Seahawks in 2019 as a back - up quarterback.
When Geno tossed 2 - touchdown passes in order to defeat the ex - Seattle Seahawks quarterback, Russell Wilson, and the Denver Broncos in the first week of the season last year. That game marked the National Football Leagues’ longest space in between opening - day starts since the year of 1971. Smith then became the very 1st - quarterback since Rich Gannon way back in 1999 to be selected to his first NFL Pro Bowl in his 10th - year or later of his NFL career.
Geno has thrown for a total of 11,199 - passing yards as well as 64 - touchdowns and 48 - interceptions throughout his 9 - year career in the National Football League.
Geno Smith’s Football Career Achievements, Honors, & Awards
- NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award Winner (2022)
- NFL Pro Bowl Selection (2022)
- NFL Completion Percentage Leader (2022)
- First - Team All - Big East Selection (2011)
- Second - Team All - Big East Selection (2010)
Russell Wilson’s Football Career Achievements, Honors, & Awards
- Super Bowl Champion (XLVIII)
- Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award Winner (2020)
- Second - Team NFL All - Pro Selection (2019)
- 9 - Time NFL Pro Bowl Selection (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
- NFL Passer Rating Leader (2015)
- NFL Passing Touchdowns Leader (2017)
- Bart Starr Award Winner (2022)
- Griese - Brees Quarterback of the Year Award Winner (2011)
- First - Team All - Big Ten Selection (2011)
- ACC Rookie of the Year Award Winner (2008)
- ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year Award Winner (2008)
- First - Team All - ACC Selection (2008)
- Second - Team All - ACC Selection (2010)
- North Carolina State Wolfpack Jersey Number 16 Honored
Sources:
“Geno Smith agrees to 3 - year, $105M deal with Seahawks”, Brady Henderson, espn.com, March 6, 2023.
“Geno Smith”, pro-football-reference.com, March 9, 2023.
“Russell Wilson”, pro-football-reference.com, March 9, 2023.
“Geno Smith”, spotrac.com, March 9, 2023.