Is Geno Smith playing today vs. Vikings? Update on $75,000,000 Seahawks QB ahead of NFL preseason opener

Geno Smith had his best season in the NFL last year, earning his first Pro Bowl honor in the process. The Seattle Seahawks promoted the quarterback as their starter after Russell Wilson left to join the Denver Broncos.

The Seahawks will now kick off their 2023 preseason by hosting the Minnesota Vikings at Lumen Field on Thursday, Aug.10. However, Smith is unlikely to feature in the preseason opener despite being fit and available to play.

According to reports, Seattle is not planning to field most of its starters against the Vikings. Many believe that Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll does not want to risk an injury for Smith in any of the three exhibition games before the regular season.

Interestingly, Smith signed a three-year, $75 million extension with Seattle this offseason, with $27,300,000 in guaranteed money. This further indicates that the Seahawks plan to build their team around the 32-year-old.

Since Smith is unlikely to feature in Thursday's preseason game against Minnesota, there are suggestions that Seattle could start with backup quarterback Drew Lock. However, the Seahawks are yet to confirm their starter.

Geno Smith's stats in 2022 NFL season

Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith

Geno Smith racked up an impressive 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns on 399 passes for the Seattle Seahawks last season. He also added 1,067 rushing yards and nine touchdowns across 17 regular-season games.

Smith helped the Seahawks qualify for the playoffs as they finished second in the NFC West with a 9-8 record. However, the signal caller wasn't able to guide Seattle past the Wild Card Round as the team was eliminated from the postseason by the San Francisco 49ers.

The Seahawks will be aiming to get into the postseason once again with Smith as their quarterback. However, this time around, they'll also be hoping to make a deep run into the playoffs.