Why Pete Carroll Thinks Geno Smith’s Contract Sends ‘Good Message’ To NFL

Geno Smith turned his NFL career around this past season and the Seattle Seahawks handsomely rewarded him for it.

Fresh off winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, the 32-year-old Smith agreed Monday to a three-year contract extension worth $105 million to stay with the Seahawks.

It’s a lot of dough to give an aging quarterback that has posted an over .500 record in just one season as a starter, but it ended up being less money than what Daniel Jones received Tuesday from the New York Giants.

But longtime Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll saw the deal as a win-win for both the organization and the player while also believing that it sent a message to the rest of the league.

“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 told reporters, per The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta.

After a down 2021 season in which Seattle posted a 7-10 record, the Seahawks were back in the playoffs this past year even as they transitioned from Super Bowl champ Russell Wilson to Smith.

Smith showed more than capable of handling the starting duties, something he hadn’t done on a consistent basis since 2014 during his second year with the New York Jets. Smith completed a league-best 69.8% of his passing while throwing for a career-high 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns compared to just 11 interceptions.

And if the contract didn’t signal it, the Seahawks and Carroll certainly think they can win a Super Bowl with Smith under center.

“Heck yeah we could,” Carroll told reporters, per Condotta. “Heck yeah we can.”