SEATTLE — In keeping with an offseason in which continuity has been a key objective, the Seahawks announced Thursday they have re-signed quarterback Geno Smith to again serve as a backup to Russell Wilson.
This is the third straight year Smith has signed with Seattle. Contract details were not available but it is likely to again be a one-year deal for Smith, who made $1.187 million last year and $895,000 in 2019.
Smith, 30, has played just 18 snaps in his previous two seasons with the Seahawks, all coming at the end of a 40-3 blowout win over the Jets last December at Lumen Field.
But the 2013 second-round pick of the Jets out of West Virginia has 31 starts in his NFL career, and it’s that experience that Seattle values should the team ever suddenly need a quarterback to fill in for Wilson.
Wilson has never missed a start in his NFL career and has played 95% or more of snaps every season — and every snap four times, including 2018 and 2019 — meaning backup quarterbacks for Seattle have almost never been needed since 2012. And that’s one reason the Seahawks have never invested all that heavily financially in a backup.
Seattle had Tarvaris Jackson from 2013-15, Trevone Boykin in 2016, Austin Davis in 2017, Brett Hundley in 2018 and then Smith the past two years, and likely again in 2021.
Seattle has two other quarterbacks on the roster in Danny Etling and Alex McGough, who each ended last season on the practice squad. Etling, a 2018 seventh-round pick of the Patriots, was acquired off waivers from Atlanta in August and was with Seattle for the entire season. McGough, a 2018 seventh-round pick of the Seahawks, was re-signed last December during a time when Smith was dealing with a knee issue and the team wanted some extra depth.
Neither Etling nor McGough has played in an NFL game.
Smith went 4 for 5 for 33 yards with one sack during his mop-up duty against the Jets last season.
Seattle now has 66 players who are under contract or who have agreed to terms. Teams can have up to 90 on their offseason rosters.
