After a breakout season in Seattle, an unlikely Pro Bowler gets real, real paid. Check out the Seahawks’ Geno Smith contract extension particulars.
In Back to the Future, when 1955 Biff Tannen is nonplussed upon hearing from a time-traveling Marty McFly that Ronald Reagan is the President of the United States 30 years later, the particular intonation of actor Thomas F. Wilson’s incredulous line-reading stuck with me: “Ronald Reagan the actor?”
Well, the news dropped of a Geno Smith contract extension this week in Seattle, going back even 12 months into the past to inform someone of such would surely produce something similar: “Geno Smith the quarterback?”
After playing the 2022 season with the Seahawks under a one-year, incentive-driven prove-it deal, Smith proceeded to reach the unlikeliest of Pro Bowl heights for the very first time in his decade-long pro career, earning NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors after leading all quarterbacks in completion percentage (69.8), more than doubling his previous single-season personal best for passing touchdowns (30), and rushing for 366 yards on 5.4 yards per carry besides.
We wondered last season what that would mean for his future earning potential. On March 6, he was rewarded to the tune of three years and $105 million.
That’ll buy you a lot of Libyan plutonium.
Now, onto the numbers — let’s take a closer look at the salary particulars behind the Seahawks’ head-turning Geno Smith contract extension.
Geno Smith Contract & Salary Details
All dollar figures via Spotrac unless otherwise noted.
Years: 3
Total value: $105,000,000
Average annual value:
Guaranteed at signing: $40,000,000 (per insider Mike Garafolo)
Total guaranteed money: $75,000,000 (Garafolo)
Free agency: 2026
2023 salary: $52,000,000 (per insiders Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter)
FUN FACT: Through the 2022 NFL season, Smith had earned less than $18 million for his entire NFL career dating back to his 2013 debut.
Swish that around in your glass for a moment.
Geno Smith Career Earnings
TOTAL CAREER EARNINGS THRU 2022 SEASON: $17,446,078
CAREER BASE SALARY: $8,053,164
CAREER SIGNING BONUSES: $3,030,620
OTHER BONUSES/INCENTIVES: $6,362,294
TOTAL CAREER EARNINGS THRU 2025 SEASON: $122,446,078