After a resurgent 2022 campaign, which saw him nominated for NFL Comeback Player of the Year — an award he’ll likely win — Geno Smith is going to cash in.
The Seattle Seahawks quarterback was thrust into a starting role after Russell Wilson was sent to Denver in a blockbuster trade and put together the single-best season of his 10-year career. Smith completed 69.8% of his passes and threw for 4,282 yards with 30 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions.
Now, it’s time for Smith, an impending free agent, to be properly compensated for his performance.
“We’ve had talks. We’re in the process of getting all of that getting settled,” Smith said in an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “It’s looking very good. We think we can get some things done. But obviously, those things take time. This is the process that I hate about the NFL because I just want to play football. But, you know, it’s a business as well. So we’ve got to take care of business and then we’ll get back to the football.”
Smith signed a one-year deal last April, which included a base value of $3.5 million, as well as another $3.5 million in possible incentives.
Smith’s optimism in getting a deal done with Seattle was recently echoed by the front office — more specifically, Seahawks general manager John Schneider.
“First and foremost we want Geno to come back,” Schneider said during an appearance on the “Wyman & Bob” Podcast for Seattle Sports 710 AM last month. “There’s no question, right? There’s a balance when you’re building a team, always. … Geno understands the process, we’ve had clear communication with his agency and Geno himself, so he knows where we stand.”
[Mike Lefko, Seattle Sports 710 AM, SiriusXM NFL Radio on Twitter]