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Geno Smith may be on his way to securing the Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback gig beyond just this season. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll admitted that Smith could be emerging as the team’s long-term solution at quarterback but stopped short of saying the veteran will prevent the team from making another move this offseason. During his weekly show with ESPN 710 Seattle’s “Brock and Salk,” Carroll oddly brought up Drew Lock as “nipping at his heels” when asked about Smith potentially being the “long-term answer” at quarterback.
“He’s doing it,” Carroll explained during his October 10th coaches show. “He’s doing everything we could ask of him right now. It’s good, too, that he’s got Drew [Lock]. He’s got Drew nipping at his heels. Every day in practice Drew does stuff. He’s got good stuff going right there in support of what Geno does. It just keeps everybody on their toes. It’s just the good thing about competition, it’s good and we like that it continues to be this way.
“Geno’s not going to sit back now. He’s not going to get comfortable. He realizes the moment, and he’s really going for it. He’s really trying to keep things at bay, whether it’s the media or whatever. He’s trying to do a great job with all of that. He’s going to have a chance to really have a great year and a future. I don’t see any reason why anything would get in his way. Physically, he’s in really great shape right now.”
The Seahawks Are Likely Going to Leave the Door Open on Smith’s Future
Regardless of Smith’s future with the Seahawks, the quarterback is headed for a sizable raise from his current one-year, $3.5 million contract. As The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar pointed out, there is no advantage to the Seahawks making a long-term commitment to Smith during the season.
“Carroll didn’t fully commit to Smith as the future at the position for a few reasons,” Dugar wrote on October 12. “For one, he’s not obligated to make such a definitive statement in early October. Also, a man whose mantra is ‘always compete’ realizes that crowning Smith the 2023 starter at this point could take Seattle out of any potential free agent or trade discussions down the road, which is important because Carroll and general manager John Schneider enjoy the ability to be in on every deal around the league. Lastly, Carroll knows there’s plenty more football to be played, even though he doesn’t foresee a dip in Smith’s production anytime soon.”
What Would a New Contract for Smith Cost the Seahawks?
Seattle will want to wait and see if Smith can keep up the rapid pace he is on through the end of the season. If Smith continues his stellar play, the Seahawks will likely have competition to sign Smith in free agency. Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed pointed to Teddy Bridgewater’s $63 million contract with the Panthers in 2020 as in line with what Smith could command in free agency.
“If looking for a comparable contract, one source pointed to the three-year, $63 million deal Teddy Bridgewater signed with the Carolina Panthers in 2020,” Kyed detailed on October 12.
“That being said, that source doesn’t believe the Seahawks should be in a rush to get a contract done with Smith unless it’s extremely team-friendly. Smith looks like a starter — and a top-20 one right now, at that — but we’re only five weeks in, and Seattle be best off waiting until the end of the season to see how everything shakes out before committing to a quarterback who, prior to this season, had started five games between 2015 and 2021.
“The Seahawks also own two first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and they’re currently slotted in at Nos. 10 and 11 overall. They’re in an ideal spot to draft a quarterback of the future — unless they believe Smith can be that player.”
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