Seattle Seahawks News & Rumors

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.