The Seahawks announced that they have reached agreement with Smith on a contract extension. Here’s Geno Smith contract details.
Geno Smith : Contract details | Guaranteed money
After two inconsistent seasons as the Jets’ starting quarterback, Smith eventually lost his starting position due to injuries in his final two years with the team.
He then spent time as a backup for the New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers, and Seattle Seahawks before unexpectedly making a career resurgence as the Seahawks’ starting quarterback in 2022, earning his first Pro Bowl selection, having his first winning record and playoff berth as a starter, leading the league in completion percentage, and ultimately winning the Comeback Player of the Year award.
Smith received an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine where his performance was well received by scouts who highlighted his athleticism and strong arm but noted his ball placement needed improvement.
Geno Smith Contract details
First, the Seahawks gave him a chance. Then, the fans gave him some chants.
And now one of the NFL’s all-time comeback stories has resulted in Geno Smith coming back to Seattle.
| Contract: | 3 yrs /$105,000,000 |
| Signing Bonus | – |
| Average Salary | $35,000,000 |
| Total Guarantees | – |
| Guaranteed at Signing | – |
| Free Agent: | 2026 / UFA |
What once seemed impossible became something inevitable over the past few months, as Smith’s stunning season practically obligated the Seahawks to agree with him to a lucrative contract.
And Monday, the reported details of said contract revealed that Geno could earn up to $105 million over the next three years, including $52 million in the first calendar year.
Smith, 33, was scheduled for free agency next week, and the Seahawks had until Tuesday afternoon to apply the franchise tag to the quarterback absent a deal.
Last season was Smith’s first as a full-time starter since 2014. He spent seven seasons as a backup.
He earned Pro Bowl honors and comeback player of the year, passing for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns and leading the league with a 69.8 completion percentage
Guaranteed money
As of this writing, it’s unclear exactly how much of this deal is guaranteed and how it affects the salary cap.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider is generally shrewd about giving the front office financial flexibility, and it’s doubtful the Seahawks would agree to a contract that significantly hamstrung their ability to add impactful talent.
But regardless of the details that come to light, this is a lot of money for a 10-year veteran who has had just one truly productive season. I’ll be the first to say that I was skeptical whether Smith proved himself to be a top-tier quarterback.
He didn’t stand out in the second half of the season, as Seattle fell from 6-3 to 7-8 before winning the final two games of the regular season, dropping games to the sub-. 500 Bucs, Panthers and Raiders along the way.
Over the past several years, teams that make deep playoff runs usually do so with a top-three quarterback (see: Patrick Mahomes, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady), or they have a standout signal caller on a rookie deal (see: Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow.)
Smith isn’t a top-three or even top-five QB. But as Schneider said at the combine last week, “[Quarterbacks] don’t grow on trees.” The Seahawks had a chance to lock the 2022 completion-percentage leader up long term, and they took it. Hard to fault them.
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