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Graphic Shows Geno Smith’s Long Journey To His Massive Deal

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March 7, 2023

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Quarterback Geno Smith had a magnificent 2022 season that no one saw coming, and as a result, he has been rewarded with a three-year, $105 million contract to remain with the Seattle Seahawks.

Smith earned his first Pro Bowl nod this past season, but unlike most Pro Bowl signal-callers, he had to go through a long, strange trip to earn that honor.

What a journey for Geno Smith. pic.twitter.com/dUQvXR2er6

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 7, 2023

Smith was a second-round draft pick in 2013 by the New York Jets after four years at West Virginia University, and he quickly became their starter after Mark Sanchez went out with a shoulder injury.

His first two seasons were lackluster, as he threw more interceptions than touchdown passes, and he would be benched twice in 2014 in favor of Michael Vick.

Over the next couple of years, Smith’s NFL prospects took a big nosedive, as he suffered a fractured jaw in August 2015 after a fight with a teammate and a torn ACL late in the 2016 campaign, which allowed Ryan Fitzpatrick to become entrenched as New York’s QB1.

Smith joined the New York Giants in 2017, then moved on to the Los Angeles Chargers the following year and the Seahawks in 2019.

All three teams signed him to be a backup, and between 2017 and 2021 he started a grand total of four contests, three of which came in 2021 when Russell Wilson suffered a finger injury.

Wilson was traded last offseason, which opened the door for Smith to become Seattle’s starter this past season and put up 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns on an NFL-high 69.8 percent completion rate.

Now, it will be up to him to live up to his new contract by duplicating that production this fall.

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