Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback Geno Smith is entering a critical season. Having signed a three-year extension with the team in 2023 following his breakout 2022 campaign, Smith now finds himself in the second of a three-year deal. Unsurprisingly, his representation thinks it’s time to negotiate a new agreement.
General manager John Schneider was recently asked to address a rumor that Smith’s camp approached Seattle’s front office to discuss a new contract. Schneider didn’t reveal much, though he did indicate he did not take their alleged approach very seriously, assuming an approach was made.
“Yeah, like broached a new contract? I think I’ll leave contract stuff aside,” Schneider responded. “There’s a lot of people that want contract extensions and I’m not going to get into specifics of who they are and all that. But that’s part of the job. It happens every year, all the time.”
“No,” Schneider responded to a follow-up question asking if the Seahawks discussed a new contract with Smith.
Smith is preparing to play his first season under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. In two campaigns as the unquestioned starting quarterback, Smith has thrown for 7,906 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions. His numbers could improve under Grubb, who is expected to field a pass-happier offense.
Smith is scheduled to earn a base salary of $12.7 million this season with that figure increasing to $14.8 million in 2025, according to OverTheCap. His slated cap charges are $26.4 million this year and $38.5 million in 2025. Releasing Smith next offseason would clear $25 million in cap while creating a manageable dead charge of $13.5 million.
Smith’s representation hopes he instead performs well enough to reignite extension discussions with Schneider next offseason.
