Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks agreed to an exciting three-year contract for $105 million – a day before the franchise tag deadline.
Geno Smith’s contract
There are two camps – Seahawks fans like me who appreciate Geno Smith and feel he will be a great asset moving into the future and the other fans who are irritated by Smith being resigned for so much money.
Geno had the highest completion rate (69.8%) in the 2022 season, which cannot be emphasized enough. This often gets overlooked. Smith is a bit of a wildcard – he has been a professional backup QB with a propensity for turnovers. Can the Hawks guarantee Geno Smith can keep up his 2022 numbers in the future? No, but consistency over 17 games speaks well for the upcoming three seasons.
Smith is 32 years old. Assuming the QB can stay healthy and talented until age 35 is a gamble. Not all QBs can play until they’re in their 40s. This feels like a good time for the Seahawks to invest in a rookie QB who can learn from a veteran like Geno.
Are the Seattle Seahawks offering too much money?
Geno Smith’s 105-million-dollar contract feels fair when considering the current QB market. The average per year is $35 million for Smith. Kirk Cousins is also making 35 million. Derek Carr is just above Geno with $37,500,000 a year, and Jared Goff is directly below Smith with 33 .5 million dollars.
Cousins, Carr, Goff, and Smith, are on the lower end of starting QBs. Geno Smith feels equally as good or better than the people in his pay grade. The only people in this position making less are elderly, rookies, or backups. Frankly, less than 35 million dollars feels disrespectful.
Are the Seattle Seahawks courting another QB?
GM John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll indicated at the combine last week that resigning Geno does not mean they will not consider drafting a QB. The Seahawks have the 5th and the 20th pick and two 2nd-round picks. They will need to be strategic with their selections.
The 2023 draft class appears to be edge rusher and QB-heavy. This year seems to be a good year to draft a quarterback, but Seattle can’t miss the forest for the trees. The team absolutely needs more help on defense.
If I had a Seattle Seahawks wish list, I would also suggest some running backs. Our RBs couldn’t stay healthy, and our run game reflected this. The tight-end talent is a little sparse as well – if there’s a Travis Kelce in the draft, that would be great!
Get ready, Hawks fans! We’re going to have an incredible 2023 season. Geno Smith hasn’t written back yet and seems to enjoy being an underdog. Keep it up, naysayers; it’s fueling Smith’s on-field skills.
Check out my profile for more great articles!
