The NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year is coming back to Seattle.
seahawks and Pro Bowl quarterback geno smith A contract was reached on Monday, the team announced. Sources confirmed to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter that the deal is for three years and $105 million, and includes $52 million in the first year.
Both sides expressed hope that a deal would be made. By reaching an agreement on Monday, they passed Tuesday’s deadline for teams to implement the franchise tag, which would have cost the quarterback $32.416 million in 2023.
Smith, 32, was one of the biggest surprises of the 2022 NFL season, earning a Pro Bowl nod and the league’s Comeback Player of the Year award after spending most of the past seven seasons as a backup.
They followed the Seahawks’ opening act to win Russell Wilsonfor the business of denver broncos — beating the widely projected favourites, drew lock — and delivered one of the most stellar seasons in franchise history. Playing on a one-year, $3.5 million deal, Smith led the league in completion percentage (69.8%), was sixth in total QBR (60.8) and fourth in touchdown passes (30) and led the Seahawks in . clinched an unexpected playoff berth. NFC’s seventh seed.
That’s a huge jump from the 58.8% completion rate and 43.6 QBR he posted over 46 games prior to this past season.
Smith started all 17 regular-season games as well for Seattle. san francisco 49ers In the wild-card round, missed a single snap and set Seahawks single-season records for completion rate, completions (399) and passing yards (4,282), breaking the marks set by Wilson in a 16-game season .
Turnovers became an issue for Smith down the stretch. He threw seven of his 11 interceptions in the final seven regular-season games, at one point admitting that he was trying to do too much.
After the loss in the playoffs, an emotional Smith stated that he wanted to end his career in Seattle, adding that he wanted to “reward” the organization for embracing him at a time when he “might as well be out of the league”. Was.”
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider Indicated at the NFL Scouting Combine Last week in Indianapolis that re-signing Smith would prevent Seattle from taking the quarterback early in next month’s draft. The Seahawks have the fifth and 20th overall picks, as well as two second-rounders.
But for now, Smith will become the only quarterback the Seahawks have under contract through 2023. They are looking to re-sign Locke – who is also set to become an unrestricted free agent – to remain his backup.
Smith earned an additional $3.5 million in incentives last season, bringing his 2022 compensation to $7 million. He has earned around $17.5 million in 10 NFL seasons.
Prior to 2022, Smith had spent the last three seasons in Seattle as Wilson’s backup. The Seahawks re-signed Smith in April, three months after he was arrested on suspicion of DUI. Smith has yet to be charged in that case as prosecutors await the results of a blood test.
a second round draft pick by new york jets Out of West Virginia in 2013, Smith struggled with turnovers during his first two seasons, then lost his starting job in the summer of 2015 after being punched by a teammate in an infamous locker room altercation, suffering a broken jaw. With the wounded landed on the reserve. He finished the 2017 season new york giants Spent the 2018 season with the Chargers before signing with Seattle in 2019, after his rookie contract expired.
When Smith threw two touchdown passes to defeat Wilson and the Broncos in Week 1, it marked the NFL’s longest gap between opening-day games since 1971. He became the first quarterback since Rich Gannon in 1999 to be selected to his first Pro Bowl. 10 or later in his career.
Smith has thrown for 11,199 yards and 64 touchdowns in his career with 48 interceptions.