Why or Why Not: Should the Seattle Seahawks Extend Geno Smith?

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Why or Why Not: Should the Seattle Seahawks Extend Geno Smith?

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Why or Why Not: Should the Seattle Seahawks Extend Geno Smith?

By November 15, 2022 11:38 am

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The Seattle Seahawks are one of the biggest surprises in the NFL right now. Despite their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in Munich, Germany, the Seahawks are still in first place in the NFC West with a record of 6-4. The offense, which many predicted to be one of the worst offenses in the league, is a top 15 offense in many metrics. But the biggest surprise is the play of Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. Early Sunday morning, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Seattle Seahawks want to bring Geno Smith back next season and sign him to a long term extension. 

Some believe Geno Smith has earned an extension, others believe he doesn’t. Smith is a free agent after this season and he could have potential suitors but should the Seahawks extend Geno Smith or not extend him?

Why Seattle should extend Geno Smith

If the Seattle Seahawks choose to extend Geno Smith, it wouldn’t be a bad move for the team at all. The Seahawks offense has been great and their numbers look like this going into week 11.

  • 9th in Offensive EPA/per play
  • 13th in Rushing Offense
  • 12th in Passing Offense
  • 5th in Scoring Offense
  • 7th in Offense DVOA

Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron deserves credit for the offense’s surprising start but Smith is the one that is out there playing. And when Smith has been playing, he has been making exceptional plays throwing the football. His pocket presence has improved, when the pocket is collapsing he is staying composed and finding ways to hit his receivers open.

What is really impressive about Geno Smith this season, is his maturation as a quarterback and as a person. After the Jets chose not to re-sign Geno Smith after spending four seasons with the team, Smith served as the backup to Eli Manning with the New York Giants, Philip Rivers with the Los Angeles Chargers, and Russell Wilson with the Seattle Seahawks. He was able to sit back and learn from those quarterbacks and he has grown not only as a player but as a person. When he was asked about his career resurgence, he gave this answer. 

 If the Seahawks were to sign Geno Smith to an extension, it doesn’t have to be a max contract extension. One or two year extension with guaranteed money will suffice. Seattle’s offense has talent at the wide receiver position with D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Seattle’s offensive line is strong with two solid offensive tackles in Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas who are both rookies, and three good tight ends in Noah Fant, Will Dissly, and Colby Parkinson. Smith already has familiarity with the offensive system and he has success while running it so why wouldn’t you resign Geno Smith to an extension? His numbers also back up his play.

  • 1st in Completion percentage
  • 5th in Pass Touchdowns
  • 3rd in Passer Rating
  • 4th in QBR
  • 7th in EPA/per play

Why Seattle shouldn’t extend Geno Smith

If the Seahawks chose not to give Geno Smith a contract extension it would be understandable for a plethora of reasons. The first reason and most obvious is age. Geno Smith isn’t young but he isn’t oldeither . He’s 32 years old and he will be 33 next season. Giving an extension to someone who’s around their early 30’s is a bit of a risk both financially and physically. 

The second reason is the upcoming QB’s in the next NFL Draft. Seattle is going to have two first round picks. They currently own the Denver Broncos first rounder and if the season ended today that pick would be in the top 10. Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud and Alabama quarterback Bryce Young are the two names that are projected to be first round picks. Other quarterbacks such as Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker and Oregon QB Bo Nix are also potential prospects. Seattle could have their pick of any prospect and have them come in to replace Smith if they believe the prospect is ready to take over the team. 

The third reason is regression. Smith is having a fantastic season both statistically and on the field. It is a possibility that Geno could regress to the quarterback we saw during his stints with the Jets and the Giants. Not to mention teams will figure out ways to expose Geno in some areas and Seattle could be in trouble if Smith regresses. If the Seahakws don’t have a backup plan in place to replace him, that could spell disaster in Seattle long-term. 

What should Seattle do?

Seattle should re-sign Geno Smith but it doesn’t have to be to a long term extension. The extension could be similar to what Jameis Winston got with the New Orleans Saints. Winston’s contract looks like this.

  • 2 years
  • $28 million
  • Signing bonus: $14 million
  • $21 million in guarantee money

Seattle could give Geno that extension and also draft and develop a quarterback for the future in this upcoming NFL Draft. Geno Smith resigning with Seattle is not only beneficial for the Seahawks, but it is beneficial towards Smith himself. Geno Smith has been through a lot in his career and his journey towards overcoming all the obstacles in front of him has led Smith to become the quarterback and person he is today. Geno Smith deserves a contract extension from the Seattle Seahawks and fans and the media should be fine with this. 

 



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