The clock is ticking toward a couple of key deadlines for the Seahawks and quarterback Geno Smith. Seattle G.M. John Schneider nevertheless believes that the Seahawks remain firmly in the running to bring back the 2022 NFL comeback player of the year.
“Good talks so far,” Schneider recently said in an appearance on Seattle Sports 710, via NFL.com. “We’re in it. We’re just trying to figure out what’s best, and we’ll do what’s right.”
Schneider downplayed the notion that there is, or at least should be, urgency to get something done.
"[F]ree agency doesn’t start until the middle of March so there’s a huge period here where we have time to work through things,” Schneider said.
He’s right, but the tampering starts before that, reaching full boil at the upcoming Scouting Combine. And the window for applying the franchise tag opens in three days before closing on March 7.
The Seahawks may have to worry about the Buccaneers getting involved, now that Seahawks quarterbacks coach Dave Canales has become the new offensive coordinator in Tampa.
“Obviously, Dave has a great relationship with Drew and Geno,” Schneider said. “Shoot, he did a great job working with Geno [and] staying after practice with Drew [Lock]. Those guys would work their tails off for a good hour, hour and a half after practice. They’d be out there in the dark throwing the ball, working on footwork and ball carriage and everything.”
Complicating any effort by the Bucs to pay significant money for a veteran quarterback is the fact that the team is due to carry $35.1 million in dead money for Tom Brady.
Smith’s market is unclear, given that so many veteran quarterbacks will be available in the coming cycle. The Seahawks could squat on Smith’s rights by applying the franchise tag, at a cost of $32.416 million for a one-year deal.
Given that the market at the position now sits at $50 million per year and likely will go up, especially since the salary cap keeps climbing, $32.416 million isn’t a bad deal for one more year with Smith. It gives Seattle one more year to ensure that Smith’s 2022 performance wasn’t a fluke.
From Smith’s perspective, it’s a hell of a pay day for a guy who was written off.