Trevor Lawrence Extension Further Proves Seattle Seahawks Have Bargain in Geno Smith

Geno Smith's three-year contract with the Seahawks already stacked up well against other starting quarterbacks and the contract keeps looking better for the franchise.

Jan 7, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) reacts after the game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterbacks have long been the most expensive players on NFL rosters and it makes sense why they are because they touch the ball every play, making them the most valuable players in professional sports.

When the Seattle Seahawks struck a deal to trade Russell Wilson, they were heavily criticized for not having a contingency plan in place. All they had was Geno Smith and Drew Lock. Neither had proven themselves to be a quality starting quarterback and the criticism was fair at the time.

Well, Smith ended up working out better than anyone had anticipated and the Seahawks signed him to a three-year extension worth $75 million with $27.3 million fully guaranteed at signing before the 2023 season. That felt like a lot at the time for Smith for some, but that extension continues to look better and better as other quarterbacks break the bank.

On Thursday night, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed quarterback Trevor Lawrence to a massive five-year extension worth $275 million with $200 million in guarantees. That's an incredible deal for Lawrence, who has struggled somewhat to meet lofty expectations after being the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

It also shows the value that Smith provides to the Seahawks. At a $25 million average annual value, Smith is making $30 million less per year than Lawrence will in new money. That allows the Seahawks to keep DK Metcalf on a large contract worth $24 million per season along with Tyler Lockett being on a large contract of his own and they still have $6 million left over.

Digging through all of the basic stats such as passing yards, completion percentage and touchdowns, Smith and Lawrence are fairly similar, but it's the efficiency metrics where Smith has been most comparable and actually has been the slightly better quarterback in most metrics.

Aside from being tied with Lawrence in success rate at 48.8 percent and posting a near identical expected completion percentage, he's produced 0.11 more EPA/play and he's 1.5 points higher than his counterpart in Completion Percentage Over Expectation (CPOE), per NFL Next Gen Stats.

Considering he's now making substantially less money than Lawrence on a per year basis, that's incredible value for the Seahawks with Smith under center. If he plays well again after making the Pro Bowl each of the past two seasons, he's going to be ready for an extension next spring and that could change things, especially with Sam Howell now on the roster behind him, but his current contract has wound up being a blessing for the franchise and one of the NFL's best deals at the position.