Seahawks general manager John Schneider was a guest on ESPN 710 radio yesterday. Naturally, the main topic of conversation was the status of starting quarterback Geno Smith, who will become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins on March 15.
Schneider echoed what coach Pete Carroll and practically every Seattle player has said since the end of the season: they want Geno to come back. However, Schneider admitted that there is a limit – a specific number that the Seahawks are unwilling to pay to get it done.
John Schneider on Geno Smith: “First and foremost we want Geno to come back” and later when asked if there was a contract figure that would be too high “yes, there is a drop dead number, but that’s the case in any negotiation process” #Seahawks
— Mike Lefko (@MikeLefko) January 20, 2023
Our best guess is the number is around $30 million per season, a couple million less than it would cost to franchise tag Smith.
That likely puts Geno and the organization on a contentious path for the negotiations. Seattle’s front office has a long history of low-balling important players who have earned a raise and we don’t expect this to be any different.
