Seahawks' Geno Smith Enjoys Career Day, Sets Stage For Interesting Offseason

Finishing the season with one of the best games of his NFL career, Geno Smith's future with the Seahawks will once again be under the microscope.

Jan 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks Geno Smith (7) in the pocket during the 1st quarter versus the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images / William Navarro-Imagn Images

Having been eliminated from playoff contention last weekend, the Seattle Seahawks didn't have anything to play for in the standings entering Sunday's finale against the Los Angeles Rams, but quarterback Geno Smith still had plenty left to play for.

Closing in on the end of the second year on a three-year contract signed in March 2023, Smith had three escalators worth $2 million apiece within reach and after throwing a career-high four touchdowns at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, he managed to cash in on all three in a 30-25 victory.

Speaking with reporters following the game, Smith indicated one of those escalators mattered more than the others, as his central focus remained on helping Seattle earn a win to finish strong above any individual accomplishments.

"I was just trying to win," Smith said.

Smith and the Seahawks did just that on Sunday, hitting double digit wins for the first time since 2020 when he served as a backup for Russell Wilson, checking off the first of the three escalators on the line for him in the finale. He needed 185 passing yards to surpass his own single-season franchise record set two years ago and eclipsed that mark midway through the third quarter, while he completed 74 percent of his passes to ensure he stayed north of 70 percent.

Four of his 20 completions in Sunday's finale went to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who tied Tyler Lockett for Seattle's single-season receptions record, becoming only the second player in franchise history to reach 100 catches in a season. His four touchdowns went to four different players, including DK Metcalf, who became the second player in NFL history to reach 50 receptions, 900 receiving yards, and five touchdowns in each of his first six seasons.

In the process, Smith made a bit of NFL and team history himself, becoming only the 20th quarterback to ever complete a season with a completion rate of 70 percent or higher and resetting his own franchise record with a 70.4 percent rate. His 407 completions and 578 pass attempts also established a new record for the Seahawks.

"I tell you, I hate throwing incompletions anyways," Smith said of his historic completion rate. "So those types of things, I'm not worried about that. I try to complete every pass that I throw. Usually, during the games, if I have one, I'm like, 'I have to hit five in a row.' That's how I play. I want to hit 10 in a row. I want 20 completions in a row. I wasn't thinking about anything other than winning."

Statistically, Smith didn't have his finest season in a Seahawks uniform, as he finished with 21 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, his highest total in three years as a starter since taking over for Wilson in 2022. Five of those picks came in the red zone, which brought the quarterback under fire in the second half of the season, including a back-breaking pick six that allowed the Rams to come back and steal a game in Week 9 at Lumen Field.

But as he has been throughout his time as a starter in Seattle, Smith has been accountable for those miscues, taking the sword even when some of those interceptions resulted from poor pass protection or bad luck. He praised coach Mike Macdonald for supporting him along the way, sticking up for him when things didn't always go as planned in the first year playing in a new offense.

"I made a lot of stupid mistakes and he had my back the entire time," Smith remarked.

Heading into the offseason, the Seahawks will now have to decide whether or not they view Smith as their starter in 2025 and potentially beyond. Before training camp opened in July, the quarterback tried to open negotiations for a contract extension, but general manager John Schneider maintained status quo by not engaging with the player still having more than one year left on his current deal.

If Smith remains on the roster on March 16, he will receive a $10 million roster bonus in addition to the $6 million in escalators he clinched in Sunday's victory. It would be a major surprise if the Seahawks moved on from him before that point, as it would send a bad message to the rest of the team to not pay him the incentives that he earned.

But with Smith turning 35 next season and failing to lead Seattle to the playoffs for a second straight year, it is far from a guarantee that the organization will extend his contract. Though he has a $38 million cap hit in 2025, that still only currently ranks as the 12th highest among quarterbacks, so the team could handle that by opting to let him play out the final year of his contract.

If the Seahawks choose to go that route, however, there would be some risk if Smith balls out in Grubb's offense next season, or thrives for a new play caller if the team makes a move on that front, as he surely would command more money than he may be asking for with an extension in the next few months. There would also be the potential for things to get messy before that point if the veteran feels disrespected by the organization for not entertaining an extension.

With no shortage of challenging personnel decisions on tap for Schneider and the front office to make, no storyline may carry more weight than Smith's contract situation as Seattle tries to map out a short and long-term plan at the quarterback position. That includes figuring out where backup Sam Howell fits into the mix with one year left on his current deal.

When asked about what he hopes to see in negotiations on Sunday, Smith chose to take the high road, but made it clear the franchise is heading in the right direction with or without him. After shining in the finale, he's hopeful he has done enough to warrant a new deal to remain part of the equation to get the Seahawks back to the playoffs next season.

"Those are things that I'll talk to the people I need to talk to about. I appreciate the question, but I like to keep a lot of things internal, in-house, with respects to everybody involved. I think it's the best way to do it."

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