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The Seattle Seahawks’ 30-25 win over the Los Angeles Rams was potentially a lucrative day at the office for quarterback Geno Smith.
Smith finished 20-of-27 for 223 yards and four touchdowns in the victory and in doing so, he triggered three bonus escalators in his contract worth a collective $6 million.
Per Spotrac, Smith was entitled to receive $2 million apiece if he threw for at least 4,282 yards and completed 69.8 percent of his passes while the Seahawks finished with 10 wins or qualified for the postseason.
All three were secured in Week 18 as the two-time Pro Bowler wrapped up the 2024 season with 4,320 yards through the air and a 70.4 percent completion rate. Seattle, meanwhile, earned a 10-7 record for the year.
Smith did, however, miss out on two other bonuses. He needed to have 30 passing touchdowns and a 100.874 passer rating and fell well short on both accounts (21 touchdowns and a 93.2 QB rating). Hitting all five escalators together would’ve netted him another $5 million.
As escalator bonuses, the $6 million is added to the $10 million roster bonus Smith will collect on March 16 as long as he’s on the roster, and his status may not be a given.
Ahead of the Seahawks’ 6-3 win over the Chicago Bears on Dec. 26, The MMQB’s Albert Breer reported “the exploding quarterback market does complicate [Smith’s] future.” Breer added that the player, who’s due to become a free agent in 2026 “will be looking for a commitment from the organization this offseason.”
Cutting the 34-year-old signal-caller would put a $13.5 million dead money hit on the books for 2025 but save Seattle $31 million.
In that respect, the bonus escalators may actually incentivize the Seahawks a little more to pivot to another quarterback in free agency or through the draft.