Geno Smith wants an extension but Seahawks are pressing the brakes

We all know that Geno Smith wants an extension with the Seattle Seahawks that will pay him likely $35 million or more in each season of the extension. We know this because Smith is a normal human being and we all want to get paid high dollar for what we do. 12s also know Smith wants an extension because Smith said this week that his representives have reached out to Seattle about a future deal.

Giving an extension a full two years before a player's contract is up would not be something anyone would expect general manager John Schneider to do. That is not how Schneider has done business in Seattle since he came ot the team in 2010. Heck, players are lucky if they get an extension the season before their deals are done. But two years? No way.

There is far too much at play for Schneider to guarantee a lot of money so far in advance. Smith has to prove he can run new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's offense efficiently. In the quarterback's one preseason drive, he was fantastic. Of course, the opposing defense was not scheming against Seattle so it was more of a glorifed scrimmage.

Geno Smith makes clear he wants an extension but the Seahawks are not ready yet

Smith is also entering his age-34 season. That certainly is not old, and quarterbacks have been successful well into their late 30s, but Smith is an unusual case. He was a backup for much of his career before he became the starter for Seattle in 2022. He has been a good, but not great, quarterback in the last two seasons, but will he be good for five more?

Five is also not an outlandish number. The quarterback is signed through 2025, so that is two seasons, and an extension would probably be for three years beyond that to make all parties satisfied. That would keep Smith in Seattle through 2028 in which case he would be 38. He would be old by that time.

Seattle also has the option of elevating QB2 Sam Howell to QB1. Howell is only 23 years old and clearly should have a lot of football years left to play than what Smith has. Howell was a starter for the Washington Commanders in 2023 and was decent. He might be better under a better offensive scheme and with a team that has the receivers that the Seahawks do.

Howell would also be a much cheaper option than Smith. That would allow Seattle to add quality players around the quarterback.

The hope is that Geno Smith will perform so well this year and next that Seattle is forced to give him an extension. That should mean many wins for the Seahawks now and into the future. But there should be no expected extension this year for Smith. At the earliest, that would happen next year.

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