Seahawks QB Geno Smith Ecstatic About 'Bright Future,’ New Contract
RENTON, Wash. - Coming off an improbable season in which he finished in the top five in the NFL in touchdown passes, led the Seattle Seahawks to a surprising playoff berth, and won Comeback Player of the Year honors, Geno Smith simply wanted to be shown respect on a new contract.
After signing the dotted line on a three-year deal worth up to $105 million on Thursday morning, it's safe to say Seattle met that condition locking up Smith through the 2025 season. With a new contract in hand, he's chomping at the bit to get back to work with his coaches and teammates.
"I've always felt respected by this organization, I think they do a great job," Smith told reporters on Thursday at the VMAC. "Coach [Pete] Carroll does a great job relating to the players, not the just the stars or the players drafted. Every single player on the roster, he has a relationship with and respects and they respect him. And so I've always felt that and now I'm just happy to kind of get past this."
All smiles throughout the congratulatory press conference and brimming with confidence, Smith spoke passionately about the opportunities blessed to him by Carroll and general manager John Schneider, saying his arrival in Seattle as a free agent back in 2018 "changed me." While he had to bide his time waiting behind star quarterback Russell Wilson, with Carroll pushing the right buttons to inspire confidence, he maintained belief he would become a starter again someday.
Sure enough, when Wilson went down with a torn ligament in his right middle finger in Week 5 of the 2021 season, Smith's chance to shine finally came. Though the Seahawks lost two of his three starts under center, he tossed five touchdowns and only one interception, leaving a positive impression on Carroll and Schneider.
In the aftermath of a dismal seven win season, with speculation continuing to run rampant about Wilson's future, Seattle stunned the sports world by dealing Wilson to Denver last March for multiple first and second round picks along with three veteran players. In his absence, Smith was granted a legitimate opportunity to vie for the starting job as the successor and beat out Drew Lock during training camp, as Carroll named him the starter after the preseason finale in Dallas.
After being a backup for seven years with three different teams following a failed stint as a starter with the Jets to begin his career, Smith broke out with 30 touchdown passes and led the NFL with a 69.8 percent completion rate. Receiving his first Pro Bowl nod in his 10th season, he surpassed Wilson's franchise record for passing yards in a single season and led the NFL with 14 passing touchdowns of 20 or more yards.
"Hopefully it's an inspiration to everyone," Smith said of his unconventional journey to a lucrative NFL contract. "Just continue to believe in yourself, work hard, never waver in your confidence, and then be opportunistic. When you get the opportunity, you've got to run with it. Hopefully everyone can see that when they see me."
With Carroll and Schneider flanking him on the podium at the VMAC on Thursday and celebrating the special occasion, Smith added another remarkable chapter to an NFL fairy tale story that he believes is just getting started in the Pacific Northwest.
From an individual standpoint, Smith relishes the fact he will be playing in the same offense for a third straight season, something he wasn't afforded earlier in his career. Watching film and learning from the mistakes he made last season with the goal of being even better in 2023, including an uptick in turnovers in the second half, he's eager to prove his elevated play from a year ago wasn't a fluke and his best football still lies ahead of him.
"Shoot, I was throwing yesterday, and shoot, the ball was coming out pretty good. I think that's it," Smith laughed. "No, honestly, just being around this organization, the type of coaches, the type of players on this team, the leadership from top to bottom, it's all about getting better all about competing every single day. And I think that that breeds excellence. And so I believe that, although we did some great things last year, the sky's the limit for what we can do this year. And I think we can improve on in so many ways. And that's really what I look forward to."
While he called his much-deserved new contract "fulfilling," however, Smith's main focus remains on guiding the Seahawks to NFC West and Super Bowl titles. In the ultimate example of being a team player, his new deal includes $30 million in incentives, which gives the organization flexibility to continue building a talented roster around him while also affording him the opportunity to earn top-10 quarterback money.
Thanks to the confidence instilled in him by Carroll and others in the building over the past four years and his breakout performance last season, Smith has no problem betting on himself to an extent, especially when doing so opens the door for Schneider to add more quality pieces around him and on defense this offseason. With four draft picks in the top 52 and a bit of extra cap space to work with, he thinks the sky is the limit for the franchise moving forward and can't wait to be part of it.
"I believe in my ability and I believe in that with the guys around me, the coaches that we have, I think the future is very bright for us," Smith remarked. "And so, with the contract and incentives, it's just a way for both parties to make it work. It allows the team room and space to do what they need to do but it also gives me the opportunity to be one of the top-10 [highest] paid quarterbacks, which is something I believe I am. I think it worked out pretty great."
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