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Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider told 93.3 KJR radio host Ian Furness that he hopes the team will re-sign quarterback Geno Smith.
Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic relayed the comments:
Dugar, Michael-Shawn @mikedugar
Question of @IanFurnessSea to Seahawks GM John Schneider: “Do you expect to re-sign Geno Smith?”< br>
John: “Yes, we do.”
Smith, 32, completed an NFL-high 69.8 percent of his passes for 30 touchdowns (11 interceptions) and 4,282 yards, and also finished the year fifth in the quarterback rating and sixth in ESPN’s QBR mark. He is a finalist for the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year award.
Thanks in large part to his efforts, the Seahawks finished the season with a 9-8 record and the final playoff spot in the NFC. They lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild card round.
This was a tremendous year for Seattle considering low preseason expectations after trading nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos and releasing six-time First-team All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner.
joseph cashman @JoshCashman_
The Seahawks are back ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/e0nb3henAW
Smith and Drew Lock made up the preseason QB1 competition, and the former player won to earn his first full-time starting opportunity since he was with the New York Jets in 2014.
The Jets drafted the former West Virginia star with a second-round pick in 2013. He started with New York for two years, but the Jets decided to hand over the reins to Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2015.
Smith served as a backup for the next seven years with the Jets, New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers and Seahawks, where he played behind Wilson in 2020 and 2021.
Now he’s set to enter this offseason as a free agent, though Seattle seems intent on keeping him on board. Ian Rapport of the NFL Network reported the Saturday, January 14, NFL GameDay Tomorrow that Smith would be back in Seattle by 2023.
Rapoport said the team wants to reach a long-term deal, but could resort to the franchise tag option if that doesn’t come to fruition. Smith would earn over $30 million from the label.
Smith finally looks set to return to Seattle, which is in great shape this offseason thanks to its 2023 draft capital (e.g., No. 5 and 20 overall picks) and effective salary cap (eighth-highest in the league). with $19.3 million, according to Over the Cover).
