Geno Smith has thrown for 2,199 yards and 15 touchdowns through nine games this NFL season. How much money has he earned in the process? Boardroom explores.
You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who thought the Seattle Seahawks would be contenders nine weeks through the season, already surpassing their preseason win total while sitting at the top of the NFC West at 6-3.
Seattle is in this position largely due to the play of quarterback Geno Smith. And now it’s time for the team to pay the man his worth.
Prior to the season, Seattle decided it was time to go in a different direction, planning for the future in what appeared to be a bridge year before finding their franchise quarterback. They traded Super Bowl QB and franchise face Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, leaving them with Geno, who held a 13-21 career record as a starter ahead of the 2022 campaign.
Fast forward to Week 10: Wilson and the Broncos are 3-5 with little hope of playoff contention. The former Seahawk legend is stinking it up in the Mile High City, while Geno has suddenly turned into the Seattle savior.
| Stat | R. Wilson | G. Smith |
| TDs | 6 (T-25th) | 15 (T-5th) |
| Yards/Game | 242 (13th) | 244.3 (12th) |
| Completion % | 58.8 (30th) | 73.1 (1st) |
| QBR | 36 (28th) | 68 (4th) |
| Rating | 83.5 (26th) | 107.2 (3rd) |
So, if Russell Wilson can earn $245 million doing this, what should Geno Smith earn as he enters free agency in 2023? He’s currently making $3.5 million this season. Talk about one helluva contract year.
Boardroom takes a look at what Smith’s real market value might be this offseason.
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What Is Geno Smith’s 2023 Market Value?
Spotrac determines its own market value estimates based on a player’s age, contract status, and statistical production. It doesn’t take into account wins, awards, playoff performance, or the intangible things (like salvaging a franchise), but it’s a useful measuring stick when comparing other players’ contracts.
In Geno’s case, he’s 32 years old and he’s playing some of the best football of any quarterback in the NFL. But how much should he get paid? Put yourself in the general manager’s seat. While initially the though may have been this was a fluke, Smith has proven on this extraordinary run that that simply isn’t the case.
Spotrac didn’t set the market for Geno just yet, so we took a stab at it. Considering all the above, Smith’s market value might look something similar to when Ryan Tannehill signed a four-year, $118 million contract with the Titans in 2020.
Tannehill v Smith Stats Comparison
| PLAYER | PASS/G | PASS TD/G | COMP% | RTNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tannehill | 238.7 | 2.06 | 65.5 | 106.5 |
| Smith | 244.3 | 1.7 | 73.1 | 107.2 |
The market for quarterbacks has obviously increased since 2020, but this seems like a fair means of comparing the two. Tannehill isn’t a top-five quarterback in 2022, but at the time of his signing, he was held in high regard.
We can probably set a fair market around his contract with the Titans, in which he’s earning an average annual salary of $29.5 million. If Geno leads the Seahawks into the playoffs while putting up these stellar numbers, he should become one of the higher-paid QBs around the league.
Oh and by the way — Tannehill won Comeback Player of the Year in 2019. Looks like Geno Smith might do the same three years later. Like he said after defeating Wilson and the Broncos in Week 1: “They wrote me off, I ain’t write back though.”
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