Geno Smith will be hanging around Seattle for at least a few more years.
The quarterback agreed to a three-year deal with the Seahawks on the heels of a 2022 season that saw him seize a starting job after a decade as a journeyman backup.
NFL Network reported the deal could be worth up to $105 million.
Smith, a former Jets and Giants quarterback, solidified a tenuous Seattle situation after longtime starter Russell Wilson was traded to Denver last offseason.
While Wilson struggled with the Broncos, Smith threw for a franchise-record 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns and led the NFL with a 69.8 completion percentage.
It was enough to sneak the Seahawks (9-8) into the postseason — they fell to the 49ers, 41-23, in the wild-card round — and resurrect Smith’s career.
“I want to finish my career in Seattle,” he said after the playoff loss. “I want to. I want to be here. The town, the city, the team, coach [Pete] Carroll, the organization, they all embraced me.
“I was a guy who probably could have been out of the league. They embraced me and I want to repay them for that.”
Smith began his NFL career with the Jets as a second-round draft pick in 2013.
He seemed poised to take the starting reins for years to come until a practice fight left with him a broken jaw at the hands teammate IK Enemkpali.
He never regained the starting role, eventually taking the No. 2 job with the Giants in 2017 before spending a season in the same role with the Chargers.
Smith seemed destined to finish out his career as a backup with the Seahawks, joining as Wilson’s backup in 2020.
Three years later, and he has earned his payday — not that you’ll find him complaining about his often bumpy road back to NFL stardom.
“My tough times would be a dream to someone else,” Smith said in December. “I’ll never look at it as something that was too hard for me or too tough. I just had to stay patient until I got that opportunity.”
By: Ny Post
