If NFL analyst's disrespect is accurate, Geno Smith's contract is about to look awful

'Tis the part of the offseason for NFL pundits and some fans to disrespect Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, it seems. This is odd as Smith has put up some pretty good numbers over the last two seasons. Possibly some keep waiting for Smith to return to the kind of form he had with the New York Jets when he began his career, but that was nearly a decade ago.

Many times in the sports world there is a question of, "What have you done for me lately?" Not when it comes to people disrespecting Geno Smith, however. There is more of a, "I remember what you did 10 years ago and am ignoring the seasons since you became the starter with the Seahawks."

In 2022, Smith's first season as the full-time starter in Seattle, he led the NFC in touchdown passes and the league in completion percentage. He could have had a mediocre season and passed it off as mostly rust. After all, he had not started with a team since 2014 and had only played in 15 games between 2015 and 2022 while playing backup to quarterbacks such as Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and an in-prime Russell Wilson.

Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith gets disrespected far too much

Because Smith was a backup for so long, some might always view him that way. That is, obviously, unfair. Smith was likely good enough to start on many teams but no one gave him the chance to start again before Pete Carroll did in 2022.

Smith played well enough that he earned a big contract. Far from the largest in the NFL, Smith's deal that he signed in 2022 has a cap hit of $26.4 million in 2024 and $38.5 million in 2025. Therein lies the real issue that some see with Smith, who has, it should be noted, made back-to-back Pro Bowls. If Smith is as bad as they say, Smith should be released next offseason so the team can save $25 million.

Bleacher Report's Maurice Moton recently published an article about the quarterbacks under the most pressure in 2024. Smith was on the list. Moton wrote in part, "If Smith's numbers continue to trend in the wrong direction and the Seahawks offense sputters as it did in stretches last season, Howell could take over at some point during the upcoming campaign, and Seattle may look for a new starting quarterback in next year's draft."

Seattle's offense did sputter at times in 2023, but the fault for that was not all on Smith. The Seahawks' offensive line was not overly good and had seemingly ever-changing pieces because of injuries. Former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron also abandoned the run for long stretches instead of using skilled backs such as Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. This meant the offense was more one-dimensional and few quarterbacks would have succeeded under such conditions.

Part of Moton's point was that because Seattle gave up, in essence, a third-round pick to acquire Sam Howell this offseason, Howell could overtake QB1 for the Seahawks should Smith falter early in the season. This would mean Seattle has a backup quarterback who is making nearly $30 million this season and that is far too much.

Still, Moton, like many, appears to be looking at a worst-case scenario for Geno Smith instead of how he has performed the last two seasons, including leading the NFL in game-winning drives and fourth quarter comebacks in 2023. Smith is worthy of being QB1 for Seattle and being so for at least two more seasons. He just needs a better team around him.

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