With the Seahawks’ season over, attention has turned to the team’s most important looming financial decisions. At the top of that list, of course, is a call on how to handle quarterback Geno Smith‘s future.

Smith is under contract for 2025, but he is slated to carry a cap hit of $44.5MM. A new deal will need to be worked out to avoid carrying such a cumbersome figure, and after attempting to kickstart extension talks this past summer Smith’s camp has made it clear he wants a fresh round of commitments from the team. Seattle has a window of opportunity in this situation, with none of his 2025 base salary guaranteed and his roster bonus not due until March 20.

That bonus was set to check in at $10MM, but Smith’s performance in Week 18 changed the situation. The 34-year-old hit three separate contract escalators, bringing the value of his bonus to $16MM (as detailed by ESPN’s Brady Henderson). By the time the new league year begins, though, more clarity will have emerged with respect to whether or not team and player will be willing to continue their relationship. The Seahawks are expected to scan the quarterback market this offseason, something which could provide them with a Smith replacement. Head coach Mike Macdonald would be on board with making a new commitment in the veteran, however.

“I want Geno to be here,” Macdonald said (via Henderson). “I think he’s a heck of a player… I feel like Geno’s the best for the team right now. I’ll be involved with [contract talks]. Ultimately it’s not my decision. It’s a Seahawks decision, but Geno knows how we feels about him and we love him as our starting quarterback, for sure.”

Winning out a competition with Drew Lock to serve as Russell Wilson‘s successor in 2022, Smith exceeded expectations en route to the Comeback Player of the Year award during his first campaign as Seattle’s starter. He followed that up with a second straight Pro Bowl season, but with the Seahawks falling short of the postseason and moving on from Pete Carroll, questions loomed about Smith’s status moving forward. As more of his 2024 compensation became locked in, it became clear the former second-rounder would again handle QB1 duties.

Smith recorded 4,320 passing yards and a 70.4% completion percentage this season; both of those figures represent franchise records he had already set in 2022. Given his age and the fact Seattle again failed to qualify for the playoffs, however, it would be feasible for a reset under center (or at least the addition of a young passer capable of taking over from Smith down the road) to be a top organizational goal In any event, the team’s search for a new offensive coordinator represents a key element in this situation. The Seahawks own the No. 18 selection in April’s draft.

Seattle is among the teams currently slated to be over the cap for the 2025 league year, meaning a number of financial moves will be required over the coming weeks. One which lowers Smith’s cap hit will no doubt be among them, but how the team goes about doing that will make for an interesting storyline.

Efforts from Geno Smith‘s camp to secure an extension this year did not produce a deal. After all, the Seahawks have their starting quarterback on a team-friendly deal that runs through the 2025 season. As Smith moves closer to a contract year, the need for a resolution will arise.

The Seahawks have Smith tied to a three-year, $75MM deal. As the market has soared well beyond the $50MM-per-year level — to the point Dak Prescott is now at $60MM AAV — Smith’s contract is in no-man’s land. He is the only passer sandwiched between Gardner Minshew‘s would-be bridge-starter deal (two years, $25MM) and Baker Mayfield‘s three-year, $100MM pact. Previous reports have pegged the Seahawks as hesitant on their current passer, which is not good news for the Russell Wilson successor due to his age.

[RELATED: Smith Aiming For 20-Year NFL Career]

Set to play an age-35 season next year, Smith is moving toward QB limbo. He will again pursue a commitment from the Seahawks in 2025, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who adds the team is expected to do work on a potential successor.

Although Seattle was connected to Patrick Mahomes in 2017 — though, the future Kansas City icon did not fall especially close to where the Seahawks were drafting that year — and then “poked around” on Josh Allen in 2018, the team stayed with Wilson and then took a low-cost route to replacing him via Smith, who had been the potential Hall of Famer’s backup from 2019-21.

Needing to beat out Drew Lock to replace Wilson in 2022, Smith was tied to a one-year, $3.5MM deal that year. He delivered a stunning Comeback Player of the Year effort and received a substantial raise, though the contract did not closely rival where the Giants went for Daniel Jones or what the Saints did to sign Derek Carr that offseason. The market has passed Smith by, and it will be interesting to see how his camp proceeds.

QBR places Smith a few decimal points above Wilson this season, slotting the ex-teammates at Nos. 21 and 22. The former Jets washout has not been able to sustain his 2022 form, but he has been far from the central concern in Seattle, regularly showing plus form. If the Seahawks entertained trading Smith, a starter market would likely form. He is on pace to eclipse his career-high yardage mark set in 2022, having passed for 4,097 in 16 games this season. Smith’s 70.2% completion rate also outflanks his then-NFL-best 69.8 mark from 2022. Though, untimely interceptions have also been a key component for the 12th-year veteran this season; his TD-INT ratio sits at 17-15.

With nine wins thus far, the Seahawks will not be close to the top of the 2025 draft order. A route to adding one of next year’s top prospects does not seem to exist. The team showed interest in Anthony Richardson in 2023, when it held the No. 5 overall pick, and hosted Bo Nix on a visit this year. But Smith has remained the unchallenged starter. While the Seahawks may not be thrilled with their QB’s play, finding a surefire upgrade in 2025 will not be easy.

A short-term deal could benefit both sides here, as it would add to the career earnings of a player who never secured a notable veteran contract after his Jets exit. While Smith will probably fall short of what he could have fetched on this market, another middle-class contract would allow the Seahawks another offseason to find a potential successor — should one not emerge this year — but Smith will obviously have to weigh that type of commitment against what he could earn as a 2026 free agent. Plenty of moving parts exist here, and this will be one of the many QB situations to monitor in 2025.

The Seahawks are still in contention for a postseason berth, but their chances of winning the NFC West are slim at this point. Quarterback Geno Smith will need to deliver a pair of strong performances if Seattle is to finish the campaign at 9-8, something which will also be key in determining his candidacy for an extension.

[RELATED: Smith Aiming For 20-Year NFL Career]

Doing so will require continuing to play through the knee injury he suffered in Week 15. Smith exited that contest with Sam Howell taking over at quarterback, but the veteran managed to play on Sunday without missing time. The issue is lingering, though, and that will remain the case moving forward.

“Nah, it’s not,” Smith confirmed when asked whether the injury is behind him at this point (via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic). “It’s going to be there for a while. But gotta keep pushing.”

Smith had another uneven performance in the Seahawks’ loss to the Vikings on Sunday, adding to his middle-of-the-road showing on the whole this year. The 34-year-old has thrown 17 touchdowns in 2024, but his 15 interceptions are the second most in the NFL this year. Seattle’s offense has had issues up front, though, and the team’s ground game has left plenty to be desired. As a result, head coach Mike Macdonald has remained complimentary when speaking about Smith over the course of the year.

“He makes it go,” the first-time head coach said about Smith, via Dugar (subscription required). “It’s really simple. We put a lot on his plate, and rightfully so. He’s earned the right to have a lot on his plate operationally.”

Smith has been in Seattle since 2020, and this season is his third in a row operating as the team’s starting quarterback. The former second-rounder impressed during his first campaign atop the depth chart, and it landed him an extension and accompanying raise last spring. One year remains on that deal, but none of Smith’s base salary for 2025 ($14.8MM) is guaranteed and his projected cap hit ($38.5MM) could prove to be cumbersome. The Seahawks will have time to move on before a $10MM roster bonus comes due this March, if the team elects to reset at the position.

Seattle’s 2025 QB outlook has been unclear since the attempts made by Smith’s camp to negotiate a new contract this summer came up short. Indications from earlier this month pointed to a long-term commitment on the part of the Seahawks being unlikely, although that could of course change depending on how the rest of the season plays out. As the team appears set to miss the postseason again, however, it would not come as a surprise if other options at the position were to be explored.

Howell, like Smith, is on the books through 2026 thanks to the term remaining on his rookie contract. The former Commanders draftee could be seen as a backup option moving forward, but replacing Smith with a new starter would be a central offseason objective if the team were to take that route. Given Macdonald’s public stance on the matter, maintaining the status quo through next season could nevertheless be on the table.

Geno Smith attempted to work out an extension this summer, but it quickly became clear the Seahawks were not interested in doing so. As a result, the veteran quarterback is set to play out the 2025 campaign the final season of his three-year, $75MM deal worked out last spring.

That pact calls for $25MM in compensation for the 2025 campaign, including a $10MM roster bonus set to kick in shortly after the start of the new league year in March. With none of Smith’s base salary for the year guaranteed, a window of opportunity exists for Seattle to move on if the team decides to do so. While that would represent a surprise, another multi-year commitment should also not be expected at this point.

ESPN’s Brady Henderson writes a long-term pact near the top of the QB market is much less likely than another deal aimed at providing more stability in the immediate future. A short-term deal which allows Smith to increase his 2025 earnings with new guarantees would be a reasonable approach given the extent to which he has succeeded in filling a role atop the QB depth chart over the past three years.

Questions surrounded Seattle’s future at the position after the Russell Wilson trade, but Smith has proven to be a capable replacement with a resume now featuring the Comeback Player of the Year award in 2022 and Pro Bowl nods for each of the past two seasons. The West Virginia product has seen a slight downturn in passer rating (88.9) along with an underwhelming touchdown-to-interception ratio (13:12) this year with the Seahawks struggling up front and with respect to the ground game. Still, Seattle sits atop the NFC West with a 7-5 record and a second playoff berth in the past three years is therefore a distinct possibility.

Strong play down the stretch would help Smith’s case to secure at least an upgraded compensation package over the short term. His $25MM AAV ranks 19th amongst quarterbacks, although age is of course a factor working against the 34-year-old on that front. A move toward the top of the market (which is now $60MM per season) would require a massive raise, but an incremental one – via new guarantees and/or incentives – could be feasible but still challenging for a Seahawks team currently projected to be over the cap next season. Former Commanders draftee Sam Howell is under contract for next year, but he will no doubt still be seen as a backup option by Seattle at this point.

Smith said in October he plans on playing 20 seasons in the NFL. Reaching that mark will require multiple new contracts down the road, the first of which could be worked out this winter. How negotiations on that front proceed will be a key storyline for the Seahawks if they look to retain Smith but also leave the door open to a successor in the not-too-distant future.

Geno Smith has enjoyed a strong starting tenure in Seattle, and the 34-year-old is under contract through next season. He does not intend to hang up his cleats any time soon, though.

“My goal is to play 20 years,” Smith said during an interview with Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. “My idol Kobe Bryant [and] another idol of mine, Tom Brady, they both were able to play 20 years. So, you know, that’s something I’m chasing. Honestly, I really feel like I can.”

2024 marks Smith’s 12th season in the NFL, so he has a long way to go to reach his goal. His career began with two underwhelming campaigns as a Jets starter, a span which was followed by several years without handling a full-time starting gig. The former second-rounder made only 15 appearances and five starts from 2015-21, and it appeared at that point he would not manage to land another opportunity to lead an offense.

Following the trade which sent Russell Wilson out of Seattle, though, Smith was positioned to compete for the starting gig with Drew Lock in 2022. The veteran wound up starting every game and helping guide the Seahawks to the playoffs en route to a Pro Bowl nod and Comeback Player of the Year honors. That earned him a new deal, although things did not go as planned last year.

This past offseason, new head coach Mike Macdonald incrementally committed to Smith as Seattle’s starter over trade acquisition Sam Howell. Through the first seven weeks of the 2024 campaign, Seattle sits at 4-3 with Smith leading the NFL in passing yardage (along with attempts and completions). The West Virginia product sought out an extension this summer, but no talks on that front took place. As things stand, he is set to earn $25MM next year, including a guaranteed base salary of $12.7MM. A raise in line with the QB market’s upward trend would not come as a surprise if Smith continued to deliver solid performances this year, while an extension would ensure he remained in the Emerald City moving forward.

“I prepare, I eat the right things and take care of my body so it allows me to you know still be fast at 34,” Smith added. “I guess I’m not supposed to, I don’t know, but you know I think when I’m in my forties I think I’ll still be fast.”

With respect to when his playing career does come to an end, Smith noted he intends to return to his alma mater in a coaching capacity. If all goes according to plan, however, it will be several years until he begins his next football chapter.

Hovering in largely unexplored territory on the quarterback salary spectrum, Geno Smith pursued a Seahawks extension this offseason. While the team adjusted the third-year starter’s deal, that came merely via a restructure. A more notable adjustment appears out of reach for the time being.

The Seahawks do not sound especially interested in extending a quarterback who has two years remaining on his current contract. GM John Schneider said (via The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar) it would be inaccurate to indicate the team talked extension terms with its current QB1 this offseason.

Smith is believed to have sought an an extension this offseason, but the Seahawks have him tied to what is now an incredibly team-friendly deal. After the Russell Wilson successor played another season for backup money (one year, $3.5MM) during his Comeback Player of the Year season, the Seahawks rewarded him with a three-year, $75MM extension. Although the contract represented a substantial raise at the time, a number of deals involving comparable quarterbacks have dwarfed where the Seahawks went for a player they had carried as a backup.

For both AAV and guarantees, this came in well south of where the Saints went for Derek Carr and Giants ventured for Daniel Jones during the 2023 offseason. Baker Mayfield‘s three-year, $100MM deal also created distance between the Buccaneers QB and Smith, whose $25MM average salary is on its own tier among starters — between the franchise-level arms and the Gardner Minshew/Sam Darnold level. Smith is the NFL’s 20th-highest-paid passer, but no one else is between Minshew’s $12.5MM AAV and Mayfield’s $33.3MM number.

Schneider’s comment on this matter pushes back on the previous report that indicated Smith’s camp did discuss a new deal with the team. At no point, however, has it appeared a new deal was imminent. Smith’s $25MM-per-year pact runs through the 2025 season, and the Seahawks have flexibility via no guarantees remaining on the accord beyond this year. New HC Mike Macdonald proclaimed Smith his starter early this offseason, and by remaining on Seattle’s roster in mid-February, the 12th-year veteran locked in $12.7MM guaranteed.

The Seahawks also restructured Smith’s contract, creating cap space and making it slightly more difficult to move on in 2025. Though, with no guarantees in the mix for next year, the team would only need to navigate $13.5MM in dead money were it to move on next year. This gives the team a season to evaluate Smith in Ryan Grubb‘s offense.

From Smith’s perspective, he is running short on time to capitalize on his newfound starter status. The former Jets second-rounder-turned-journeyman will turn 34 in October. The Seahawks passed on adding an heir apparent in 2023 or 2024, but this new coaching staff certainly could have such a move on the radar. Extending a player Pete Carroll brought in when two years remain on the deal does not seem a priority.

For now, the Seahawks have only Smith and trade acquisition Sam Howell in their quarterback room. The team added P.J. Walker this offseason but released the veteran backup earlier this week. Schneider did not rule out bringing Walker back, via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta, as it sounds like the team does plan on adding a de facto third-stringer at some point soon.

Geno Smith‘s stunning 2022 season prompted the Seahawks to re-sign him, authorizing a big raise. Smith’s current contract — initially reported as a three-year, $105MM deal — checked in much lower once the fine print emerged, and the team has flexibility due to the contract’s structure.

The resurgent quarterback agreed to a contract worth $75MM in base value, and it gave the Seahawks the option to move on without too much dead money in 2024. Although the Seahawks restructured the deal this offseason to lock in their starter for 2024, they could break free for just $13.5MM in dead cap in 2025. For a veteran starting quarterback, Smith is at the low end of the salary spectrum.

Following Smith’s agreement, the Saints gave Derek Carr a four-year, $150MM deal that featured $70MM in practical guarantees. Soon after, the Giants re-signed Daniel Jones on a four-year, $160MM pact that brought $81MM guaranteed. Kirk Cousins recently received a $100MM practical guarantee, with that Falcons accord coming soon after the Buccaneers re-upped Baker Mayfield at three years and $100MM ($50MM practical guarantee). These deals make Smith’s look quite team-friendly, and NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo said during a recent podcast with Pucksports.com the 12th-year QB has approached the team about an extension.

Smith’s camp talked about the deal with the Seahawks in the offseason, but it does not seem the team is too interested in an extension or a true adjustment. Nothing sounds imminent, and Garafolo mentioned incentives as a potential outcome to resolve this situation before Week 1. Smith is due $12.7MM in base salary this year and counts $26.4MM against Seattle’s cap. The Seahawks’ February restructure did not bring any void years, only inflating Smith’s 2025 cap hit to $38.4MM.

In mid-February, the Seahawks informed Smith he would remain on their roster past a Feb. 16 point in which his $12.7MM base would shift from guaranteed for injury only to a full guarantee. Smith is entrenched as Seattle’s centerpiece player this season, but no guarantees are in place for 2025. Considering a new coaching staff is now in place, the former second-round pick will likely need to prove himself again to secure a place on Seattle’s 2025 squad.

The Seahawks had Smith at just $3.5MM (plus incentives) in 2022, when he beat out Drew Lock to replace Russell Wilson. Smith’s Comeback Player of the Year showing produced a 9-8 record and he set a franchise record with 4,282 passing yards. Smith led the NFL with a 69.8% completion rate that year. In 2023, Smith’s completion rate dropped to 64.7, and his yards per attempt fell a bit — from 7.5 to 7.3 — as well. QBR still placed Smith 14th last season and seventh in 2022.

Smith will also turn 34 in October; he is running out of time to capitalize on his newfound value. But the Seahawks have him on an extraordinarily team-friendly pact. The ex-Jets draftee is essentially on his own tier, forming a lower middle class between the Mayfield-Carr-Jones level and the Gardner Minshew–Sam Darnold stopgap plane. Smith sits as the NFL’s 20th-highest-paid passer, with three others — Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love and Tua Tagovailoa — leapfrogging him by a monster margin thanks to joining the expanding $50MM-per-year club this summer.

Now holding final say after Pete Carroll‘s ouster, GM John Schneider can evaluate Smith’s fit in Ryan Grubb‘s offense before making a call. A potential extension could come to pass if Smith shows early progress under the former Washington Huskies play-caller, but a deal ahead of Smith’s age-35 season in 2025 would be highly unlikely to land on the top tier among QBs.

For now, the Wilson successor remains locked into a starting job — as the Seahawks passed on first-round QBs in 2023 and ’24 — and is poised to aim at improving his situation this season.

Throughout the 2024 offseason, signs have pointed to Geno Smith remaining atop the Seahawks’ quarterback depth chart for at least one more year. New head coach Mike Macdonald offered a firm endorsement of the veteran on Saturday.

Seattle lost backup Drew Lock to the Giants in a move which – unlike what Seahawks general manager GM John Schneider indicated – sets him up for another QB2 role. To fill the vacancy, the team traded for 2022 Commanders draftee Sam Howell. The latter served as Washington’s starter last season, but the team’s new front office and coaching staff is prepared to draft a replacement next month. Howell’s upside led some to believe he could challenge for the No. 1 role, but Macdonald said that will not be the case for now.

When asked if he anticipates a competition during an interview with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Macdonald said, “l don’t. I’ve talked to Geno about it. Very confident in Geno. Geno’s going to be our starter. Sam knows he’s going to be our backup, but Sam is a great young player, and he’s got a really bright future that we believe in.”

Seattle had a window of opportunity to trade Smith given the timing of bonuses in his contract. The team allowed his base salary to become fully guaranteed, however, and converted a roster bonus into a signing bonus in moves which suggested the 33-year-old would carry on as the starter. Smith has held that role for the past two seasons, and he earned Comeback Player of the Year honors after delivering a Pro Bowl performance in 2022.

Smith experienced a statistical downturn last year, (although his league-leading five game-winning drives produced another Pro Bowl invite), and after falling short of the postseason the Seahawks have undergone a massive change with Pete Carroll no longer on the sidelines. Macdonald will be tasked with overseeing a step forward on defense, but the Seahawks’ passing attack in particular will be worth watching on the other side of the ball. Smith will work with the first-team offense during the offseason as Macdonald begins his head coaching career.

Two years remain on Smith’s contract – the $75MM pact he secured after his successful run in 2022. Howell’s rookie contract also runs through 2025, so the Seahawks will have time to sort out their QB arrangement moving forward. While the latter projects as having higher upside given his age and play during parts of last season, it will be the former at the helm when the offseason program and, later, training camp begins.

9:26pm: The Seahawks may be ready to end the trade speculation. Schneider is believed to have informed Smith he will be on the roster on his current contract next season, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets. Similar assurances in the recent past have led to some course changes; this does come two years after Pete Carroll said at the Combine the intention was not to trade Wilson. That said, the Seahawks appear to be planning for a third season with Smith at the controls.

10:36am: Entering the offseason, questions were raised about the Seahawks’ commitment to quarterback Geno Smith. Despite the veteran’s multi-year extension signed in the wake of his impressive 2022 showing, the team had a path to releasing or trading him with minimal cap penalties.

However, the recent moves made by Seattle point in the direction of Smith being retained for at least one more campaign. His $12.7MM base salary has already become fully guaranteed, and the team agreed to a restructure last week. As a result of that move, Smith’s roster bonus was converted to a signing bonus, saving 2024 cap space and accelerating a payment which was due next month.

Many had pointed to March 18 (the time at which Smith’s roster bonus was due to vest) as a deadline for Seattle to work out a trade sending Smith elsewhere. With that option now off the table, the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year is on track to remain the Seahawks’ starter. New head coach Mike Macdonald declined to offer a firm commitment in that respect before the restructure, but general manager John Schneider‘s remarks downplayed the significance of the financial maneuvering.

“Other people made a bigger deal out of that than we did in the building,” the latter said, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic (subscription required). “Is he gonna be here? Is he not gonna be here?’ He was going to be here. It’s a matter of when are we going to tell him we’re doing this with his roster bonus?”

Schneider added that Smith, 33, is atop Seattle’s depth chart “until he’s not.” Backup Drew Lock is a pending free agent, but he is expected to seek out a starting gig on the open market. Part of the Russell Wilson trade package, Lock made only a pair of starts during his Seattle tenure, something which could hinder his market. Schneider is believed to have played a central role in having the former second-rounder included in the Wilson deal, so a re-up could still be in the cards. On the other hand, Seattle taking the draft route is something Schneider also touched on.

The 14-year GM noted that the team’s track record of selecting only two passers in his tenure is “not something that we’re necessarily proud of,” leaving open the door to a draft addition this April. Seattle did homework on the top passers in last year’s class before ultimately selecting cornerback Devon Witherspoon fifth overall. The team still has first-round needs on defense which outweigh the urgency to draft a Smith successor, especially given his current financial situation. While Schneider declined to give the two-time Pro Bowler a full endorsement, his remarks point further toward stability under center for 2024.