Smith’s contract expires at the end of the 2025 season. Should Seattle give him a new deal?
The Seattle Seahawks have an important Geno Smith decision to make in the coming weeks. Do you extend (and/or restructure), trade, or release the veteran quarterback? What about the (unlikely but not impossible) scenario of letting Smith play on the final year of his deal, whether on a lower cap hit or the current $44.5 million charge?
In an NFL.com article highlighting one offseason move every NFC team should make, analyst Kevin Patra made the case for extending Geno.
Leave the “Should the Seahawks trade Geno to Pete Carroll’s Raiders?” pontification alone. Trade Smith and turn to whom under center? Sam Howell? Sam Darnold for a similar price to Geno? A rookie in a draft class most analysts believe is shallow? Unless Seattle is willing to go into a full-on rebuild after a 10-win season, parting with Smith makes little sense, in my opinion. Yes, the red-zone interceptions stung, but Smith’s play was a massive reason the Seahawks even had a shot at the postseason. Few were better at delivering while getting blasted repeatedly behind an offensive interior that struggled. Smith isn’t the problem. Forget about trading him. He’s earned another extension that will provide guaranteed dollars and a few more years while lowering his cap number.
Smith has been Seattle’s starter for three seasons, which if we’re being honest with ourselves is at least two seasons longer than anyone had expected after Russell Wilson was traded. After an inspiring 2022 campaign, Smith received a three-year extension and turned his career round after not fizzling out with the New York Jets and spending subsequent years as a backup. Every season has resulted in some form of offseason discussion about whether he should remain the starter.
The Seahawks have not won a playoff game with Smith and have missed the postseason in each of the past two years on tiebreakers. At 34 years old, Smith is not exactly a long-term solution to be the team’s QB for the next decade. However, the circumstances of substandard offensive line play, a lack of a consistent running game, and (up until the latter part of 2024) substandard defense would make it difficult for most quarterbacks to succeed. Add in the disappointing tenure of offensive coordinator Ryan Grub and it’s not been close to an ideal set of circumstances. As Patra noted, even with Smith’s high interception total, he was a significant reason for Seattle’s 10-win season and push for the division title.
Will John Schneider view this year as time to move on and go younger and/or cheaper? Or will Smith be retained regardless of whether or not the Seahawks start planning for the possible long-term franchise quarterback?
Smith’s $16 million roster bonus is due on March 16. We’ll have our answer not just on Smith’s future but potentially how the Seahawks earnestly view themselves as potential contenders in 2025.