After surprising many with his performance in the first game of the 2022 NFL season, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith told a reporter that “they wrote me off, I didn’t write back though.”
Now, after a season in which he was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year, Smith is signing his name to a contract with a lot of very big numbers attached.
theScore’s NFL insider Jordan Schultz was the first to report Monday that the Seahawks are finalizing a three-year, $105-million deal with Smith to remain their quarterback.
Breaking: Geno Smith and the #Seahawks are finalizing a three-year contract extension worth $105M with the ability to earn $52M in the first calendar year, sources tell @theScore.
Smith earned Comeback Player of the Year and Pro Bowl honors after leading the NFL in completion %. pic.twitter.com/RbMMXJ6Uke
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 6, 2023
According to Schultz, Smith has the ability to earn as much as $52 million in the first year of the deal.
Smith came into the season as an uneasy option for the Seahawks, who were looking to replace Russell Wilson. Smith wasn’t assured of the starting job and had to compete with Drew Lock in the preseason. However, the veteran quarterback had a breakout season, completing a league-high 69.8 percent of his passes for 4,282 yards, 30 TDs, and 11 interceptions on his way to a Pro Bowl bid and a postseason appearance.
The deal comes ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for teams to use a franchise tag on a player and means the franchise doesn’t need to worry about a drawn-out negotiation process with the quarterback. It also frees Seattle up to use the franchise tag on another player instead.
