The Seattle Seahawks are entering their third straight season with Geno Smith as the starting quarterback, but Smith’s time in the Pacific Northwest could be running out.
Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic feels that the 2024 campaign could be Smith’s last with the Seahawks, noting that Smith carries a 2025 cap hit of $38.5 million.
Dugar adds that Seattle has young quarterback Sam Howell—whom the club acquired in a trade with the Washington Commanders earlier this offseason—waiting in the wings, which could ultimately result in Smith’s release after this year.
The Seahawks could also try and draft a quarterback next spring, although they probably won’t be bad enough to land one of the top picks in the draft.
Smith arrived in Seattle back in 2019 and served as Russell Wilson’s backup for his first three years with the club. Then, after Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos in 2022, Smith stepped in as the starter and shocked the world, throwing for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.
The 33-year-old was solid once again in 2023, although his production certainly dipped. In 15 games, he totaled 3,624 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine picks, making his second straight trip to the Pro Bowl.
Seahawks’ new coaching staff may push Geno Smith out the door
Pete Carroll is no longer at the helm in Seattle, as Mike Macdonald has succeeded him as the Seahawks’ head coach.
Macdonald did not seem wild about the idea of committing to Smith earlier this offseason, although Seattle probably doesn’t have much of a choice heading into September.
That being said, the fact that the Seahawks traded for Howell indicates that there is some pressure on Smith going into 2024. If Smith gets off to a slow start, Macdonald may not hesitate to pull the trigger on benching Smith in favor of Howell.
Howell showed some flashes with the Commanders last season, but ended up leading the NFL with 21 interceptions.
Even if Howell proves not to be the long-term answer for the Seahawks, Geno Smith turns 34 in October, meaning that Seattle will have to start looking for a solution elsewhere anyway.
The Seahawks went 9-8 in 2023 and have posted just one losing campaign since 2012, which came in 2021 when they won seven games.
Perhaps it would be in Seattle’s best interest to actually finish near the bottom of the standings in 2024 to exact a clearer path to acquire its next franchise quarterback.
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