While Smith acknowledges his future with the Seahawks is far from certain, he’s certain Seattle is on the right track back to contention.
Geno Smith’s first meaningful snaps as Seattle Seahawks quarterback came against the Los Angeles Rams way back in 2021. Is it possible that his last appearance in a Seahawks uniform will also be against the Rams?
We won’t know the answer perhaps until March, but for the here and now he remains the Seahawks starter until further notice. Smith ended his 2024 season on a high note with a career-high four touchdown passes and a fourth game-winning drive of the season, fighting through noticeable pain to deliver the go-ahead score to Noah Fant.
At Sunday’s post-game press conference, Smith assessed how the season went and acknowledged the disappointment of missing the playoffs for a second straight year.
“Proud of the guys, proud of everybody, the way they fought,” Smith said. “Proud of our coaching staff, proud of our front office, just everybody in the building. But also feeling disappointed for everyone. [We] don’t get to go to practice and get back to it. Those are the things that I look forward to, man, and I can’t go to practice with my guys on Monday. Got to wait a long time to get back to work. I know a lot of guys sacrificed this year. A lot of guys put in a lot of work and really deserve more football, but that’s not the case. So just feeling for the guys, man. Wishing we could continue to do this thing together. I love every one of my teammates, man. I love every part of this organization and yeah, it sucks. It sucks.”
Smith is nevertheless very optimistic about the progress the Seahawks are making toward being contenders… even if he isn’t part of the team’s plans down the line.
“There are a lot of young guys on the offensive line,” Smith said. “There are a lot of young guys on this team. This team is… I’m telling you man, this team is heading in the right direction. This team is on its way. That’s with or without me. These guys in this locker room, these coaches, this organization, outstanding organization, and I believe in it. I believe the best of the best is going to happen for this team. I just want to continue to fight with these guys.”
Smith’s contract is up after the 2025 season, and his performance against the Rams had significant ramifications regarding his salary cap hit. By hitting his targets of 10 wins and setting new career highs in passing yards and completion percentage, Smith achieved $6 million in contract escalators, which affects his roster bonus and salary cap charge.
Here’s an explainer from ESPN’s Brady Henderson:
Escalators differ from incentives in that incentives are guaranteed the moment a player hits them. In Smith’s case, the $6 million in escalator money he hit Sunday will be added onto the $10 million roster bonus he’s set to make March 16 if he’s still with the Seahawks as of that date.
Smith’s 2025 cap number is now $44.5 million instead of $38.5 million. A way to lower that number is to extend his contract, otherwise cutting him would save $31 million in cap space and incur $13.5 million in dead money.
When asked about contract negotiations, Smith kept it brief.
“Those are things that I’ll talk to the people that I need to talk to about,” Smith said. “I appreciate the question but I like to keep a lot of things internally and in-house. With respect to everybody involved, I think it’s the best way to do it.”
The full press conference can be seen below: