Seahawks aren’t worried about the competition in Geno Smith contract talks
Geno Smith picked a fantastic time to have a breakout season with the Seattle Seahawks.
Although Geno Smith is set to get quite the bump in pay in his free agency, the Seattle Seahawks are not too concerned about the competition he could garner on the open market.
It took a decade, but the former West Virginia star had his day in the sun at the NFL level. Smith was a huge reason why Seattle made the NFC playoffs in his breakout Pro Bowl campaign. He flourished in Shane Waldron’s offense, as the Seahawks who were thought to be tanking massively overachieved everyone’s low expectations of the team. Still, Smith is about to get paid.
As a surprise to absolutely no one, the Seahawks are not falling to pieces over Smith potentially leaving them. To be frank, he needs Seattle more than Seattle needs him. The Seahawks obliterated the Denver Broncos in the infamous Russell Wilson trade. Smith may be more than serviceable, but he knows he has got it made in Seattle. There is one other team to watch, though.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider said they have had “Good talks so far, we’re in it. We’re just trying to figure out what’s best, and we’ll do what’s right.”
He is not too concerned over Smith jumping ship and climbing aboard with the Mötley Crüe in Gulf Coast Florida. Keep in mind Smith’s former quarterbacks coach Dave Canales is the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator.
Tampa Bay needs to replace Tom Brady, so Smith as a stop-gap at quarterback is a real possibility.
Seattle Seahawks not too concerned about Geno Smith’s pending free agency
Look. Smith is firmly in his 30s. While it is great to see him having his Jim Plunkett, Rich Gannon, Ryan Tannehill renaissance, these things rarely happen, and hardly ever happen if you leave the place where it is working. Smith could be an answer to the cash-strapped Buccaneers, but does he really want to be in a position where he could lose a starting quarterback battle to Blaine Gabbert?
The idea of partnering up with Canales again could be appealing, but wouldn’t he rather stay with the better defensive-minded head coach and not have to replace The GOAT? In theory, it makes sense for Smith to return to Seattle so that the Seahawks can use other financial capital to build a better team around him. Of course, the Seahawks hold all the leverage in this particular situation.
Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll crushed the previous draft. Since it is important that they continue to do so, they will probably will because these are smart individuals. More importantly, Seattle has a top-10 pick due to Denver’s Mile High incompetence. Simply put, they are in a position to select any quarterback in the draft they would want, even moving up to No. 1 overall.
Truth be told, it makes sense for Smith and Seattle to partner up again in a team-friendly, three-year extension. Smith gets paid, Seattle gets quality starting quarterback play and can use its financial capital elsewhere to keep the whole thing going. Winning in Seattle gives Smith a chance to build his legacy beyond Morgantown. It also tears away at the fable of Mr. Unlimited’s narrative.
Overall, it serves both parties to make this work. Even with the San Francisco 49ers in-division, they are too inconsistent under center to regularly have a stranglehold on the NFC West. The Los Angeles Rams need to blow it up, and we have a rookie head coach in Jonathan Gannon taking over in The Valley. Carroll is licking his chops, better yet, chewing his gum into total disintegration.
Ultimately, Smith will have a market. He is a Pro Bowl quarterback after all. While he would be a fool to not take advantage of his once-in-a-lifetime leverage, he needs to have some level of awareness that his employer actually has more over them. It is why Carroll and Schneider can rest easy at night. It is amazing how much of a difference once year can make. Seattle is good again!
Let’s hope Smith sees the light to stay in the port city he is all too familiar with in his free agency.
