Geno Smith still doesn't need to write back to critics who wrote him off. Instead, he wrote his name on a new contract.
The Seattle Seahawks reportedly locked up the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year with a multi-year deal, avoiding use of the franchise tag before Tuesday's deadline.
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported, citing sources, that the deal is for three years and $105 million. Smith reportedly will make $52 million in the first year of the contract after earning $17.55 million combined in his first 10 NFL seasons.
Smith, 32, had a renaissance for Seattle in 2022 after starting just five games total from 2015 to 2021.
After Russell Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos, head coach Pete Carroll handed the keys over to Smith. The result was a 9-8 season and a trip to the playoffs, plus a Pro Bowl nod and Comeback Player of the Year honors. He finished the season with 30 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and 4,282 passing yards.
Smith struggled in his first stint as a starter with the New York Jets after being drafted in the second round back in 2013. He started 29 games for Gang Green in 2013 and 2014, throwing 25 touchdowns to 34 interceptions. But after years as a backup with the New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers and then the Seahawks, he's clearly developed into a starting-caliber quarterback.
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With Smith now locked up for the foreseeable future, the Seahawks can turn their attention to impending free agents Rashaad Penny, Poona Ford and Ryan Neal, among others.