The Seattle Seahawks locked up free agent Geno Smith on Tuesday, signing their quarterback to a brand new three-year, $105 million extension after his breakout campaign in 2022. Shortly after the news surfaced, head coach Pete Carroll hopped on Seattle Sports 710 AM and discussed what this means for the organization, even admitting that Smith is “gambling on himself a bit” but in a good way for Seattle.
“It’s a good deal for the club, a really good message to everybody on the outside that this is a good place and things are going in the right direction and we’re fired up about it,” Carroll said, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
Carroll explained how the Seahawks can now focus on other needs this offseason after signing Geno Smith before free agency, who was at the top of the priority list. There's also $30 million in incentives for the veteran signal-caller depending on his play in 2023.
After years of being a journeyman in the NFL, Smith stepped in as QB1 for Seattle and proved his worth, even putting himself in the MVP conversation at one point. The 32-year-old completed 69.8% of his passes for a whopping 4,282 yards while throwing for 30 touchdowns against 11 interceptions.
No one even considered the Seahawks to be a playoff team last season but much in part to Smith, they opened eyes across the league.
Carroll said Tuesday that Seattle won't shy away from picking a young QB at No. 5 overall in next month's NFL Draft, but he reiterated that Geno Smith is their main man for the foreseeable future. This new extension reflects just that.