The Seattle Seahawks have made some major decisions this offseason. The first was moving on from head coach Pete Carroll, reassigning him within the organization, and hiring Mike Macdonald to replace him. Their next big decision centered around quarterback Geno Smith.
Smith re-signed with the Seahawks last offseason on a three-year, $75 million contract after a huge bounceback campaign in 2022. He led Seattle into the postseason, helping the team quickly right the ship after trading Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.
Alas, the deal Smith signed wasn’t all that it seemed to be. It was essentially a one-year deal, as Seattle had an out in 2024 if they wanted to move on from him. The first opportunity to move on was this week as Smith has $12.7 million on his contract set to become fully guaranteed on Friday.
NFL NEWS & RUMORS: Geno Smith & Seattle Seahawks Updates
However, that money would become fully guaranteed only if he were to remain on the roster, similar to the situation the Las Vegas Raiders were in with Derek Carr last offseason. Unlike the Raiders, who released Carr, the Seahawks are going to allow Smith to collect the $12.7 million in guarantees.
Originally, that money was guaranteed for injury only. With Smith healthy, the Seahawks could have moved on from him without any penalty but opted against that. However, this decision does not guarantee that Smith will be on the team’s roster next month.
There is still a chance Seattle trades Smith before March 18th, which is when he has a $9.6 million roster bonus due along with a $200,000 workout bonus. In the team’s opinion, the $22.5 million Smith is set to make in 2024 is a palatable one based on the quarterback market and it would be hard to argue against that.
While opinions on where Smith ranks among other starting quarterbacks in the NFL is up for debate, the $22.5 million he is set to make ranks only 18th. His cap hit of $31.2 million is 12th among quarterbacks. When accounting for how many quarterbacks are on rookie contracts around the league, both of those rankings are solid for Smith.
NFL NEWS & RUMORS: Geno Smith & Seattle Seahawks Updates
Smith’s production dipped in 2023 compared to 2022, but he was still in the top half of the league in several passing categories. He was also an injury replacement in the Pro Bowl, earning a nod for the second straight season.
With a new coaching staff in place, Smith’s spot as the starting quarterback is far from guaranteed. But, they can rest easier knowing if no other options come up this offseason, they at least have Smith as a capable player already on the roster.
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