Is Geno Smith part of the Seattle Seahawks’ future?
Joe Fortenbaugh breaks down why he is laying the 10 on the San Francisco 49ers in their matchup over the Seattle Seahawks. (0:44)
SEATTLE — After the Seahawks kept their playoff hopes alive with an overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18, none of them followed the Sunday night game with more on the line than Geno Smith.
The quarterback had a $1 million contract incentive riding on the Seahawks making the postseason. He earned it when the Detroit Lions upset the Green Bay Packers, securing Seattle’s spot as the seventh seed in the NFC.
Saturday’s wild-card matchup against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium gives Smith a chance to add some playoff production to his résumé ahead of the much bigger payday that awaits him this offseason as a pending free agent — whether his next contract comes from the Seahawks or someone else.
Typically, there isn’t much of a question about a quarterback’s future with his team when he makes the Pro Bowl and the playoffs in the same season as Smith has done, but this situation isn’t that straightforward.
Consider where each side will be coming from.
Smith, who went from backup for the past seven years to breakthrough starter in 2022, just set several single-season franchise passing records. Even with some shaky performances down the stretch, he’s easily been one of the NFL’s 10 best quarterbacks based on any relevant metric. He’s also been the most underpaid, playing on a one-year deal that carries a base value of $3.5 million.
Smith has yet to cash in with a big contract over his first 10 NFL seasons and has finally positioned himself to do so, which may tempt him to test free agency.
“I’m focused on football right now, but the thing is, it’s a business,” Smith said Sunday when asked if he wants to hit the market. “Football is a business. A lot of people have a lot of decisions to make, and that’s where I’ll leave it at. I feel great about where I stand with this organization and my teammates and everybody else, but it’s always a business first. So I look at it like that. I understand that, and I’ve got to handle my business as well.”
The Seahawks, meanwhile, no doubt want to re-sign their Pro Bowl quarterback, but they have an offensive system they believe to be QB-friendly. They also believe there are potentially viable alternatives on more affordable contracts should Smith’s asking price get too high for their liking.
The Russell Wilson trade has set them up with a boatload of draft capital, including the fifth overall pick and three of the top 40 selections. It also brought back Drew Lock, who was widely presumed to be their starter in 2022 before Smith beat him out. The Seahawks viewed the 26-year-old Lock as a key piece of the Wilson trade and still believe he’s a starting-caliber quarterback, though he’s set to become a free agent like Smith.
No wonder Carroll’s response was laced with uncertainty when he was asked Sunday how Smith’s play impacts his view of the Seahawks’ quarterback situation going forward. It also included a clear implication that Smith’s success — going from a longtime backup to a Pro Bowler — shows how the Seahawks’ scheme and coaching can put quarterbacks in position to thrive. In their eyes, the same thinking could help explain how Wilson has floundered in his debut season with Denver after putting together a Hall of Fame résumé over his decade in Seattle.
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