Publicly, the Seattle Seahawks have been pretty clear about wanting quarterback Geno Smith back for another season. Privately, however, the situation may be a little more complicated.
On Monday afternoon, Smith sent Seahawks fans into a frenzy with an extremely cryptic social media post. The 34-year-old posted a GIF of NBA superstar LeBron James walking out of a press conference, with no caption whatsoever.
Considering the timing of this post, just weeks if not days before the offseason really ramps up, some believe Smith could be hinting at leaving the Emerald City.
Anyone who follows the Seahawks knows just how many analysts have questioned Smith's future this offseason. In addition to him being in his mid 30s, he's in the final year of his contract and has been vocal about wanting an extension and/or raise.
"Geno Smith would like a new contract," wrote Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. "He has one of the 10 highest cap hits in the league. Seattle is several million over the salary cap. One of the ways to clear cap space to improve the roster would be to extend the 34-year-old Smith, who is on record saying he believes he’s one of the top players at his position. Does Seattle general manager John Schneider feel the same way about his quarterback, who is coming off a statistically down year? If Schneider disagrees, then what?"
Smith is due to receive a $10 million roster bonus on March 16, so the Seahawks will probably have to make their decisiion by that date.
This season, Smith completed a career-high 70.4 percent of his passes for 4,320 yards, 21 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Those obviously aren't amazing numbers, but considering he had one of the worst offensive lines and an anemic run game around him, they aren't awful either.
It's anyone's guess as to whether Smith is actually referring to his Seahawks future with that GIF, but considering all the outside noise, it's understandable why some fans made that conclusion.
-1739349694-q80.webp "Patriots Veteran Could Return Because of Mike Vrabel")