There seemed to be intent behind the words when Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald was asked last week how involved he’d be in assuring that Geno Smith will be the team’s quarterback in 2025.
“I want Geno to be here,’’ Macdonald said. “I think he’s a heck of a player. The first thing it always comes back to is what’s best for the team. I feel like Geno is the best for the team right now.’’
If the comments over the last year of Macdonald and general manager John Schneider have at times been dissected as appearing somewhat noncommittal about Smith, this one seemed to leave little room for parsing.
With the offseason now in full swing, it’s time for our annual postseason reviews of every position group on the Seahawks.
We start with the quarterback position, which inevitably focuses on the future of Smith.
Starter
Geno Smith
Age: 34.
Snaps played in regular season: 1,075, 97.73%, via Pro Football Reference.
Contract situation: Smith has one year remaining on his contract that includes a $16 million roster bonus due on March 16 and a nonguaranteed base salary of $14.8 million. It includes a cap hit of $44.5 million. Of that, $13.5 million is dead cap (meaning, money Smith has already been paid). But if Smith were released or traded by March 16, Seattle would save $31 million in cap and cash.
Backups
Sam Howell
Age: 24.
Snaps played in regular season: 25, 2.27%.
Contract situation: Howell will be entering the final season of his four-year rookie deal, due to make $1.1 million in 2025. That salary is not guaranteed and Seattle would save all of it against the cap if he is released.
Jaren Hall
Age: 26.
Snaps played in regular season: 0.
Contract situation: Hall has one year remaining on his deal, due a nonguaranteed $1.030 million base salary in 2025.
2024 in review
Smith started all 17 games and set career highs and franchise records in attempts (578), completions (407), yards (4,320) and completion percentage (70.2), becoming the 20th quarterback in NFL history with a 70% completion percentage in a season.
He also tied Russell Wilson’s franchise record with five 300-yard games in 2024 (Wilson did it in 2020).
He also had four game-winning drives and now has 12 since taking over as the starter in 2022, second in the NFL.
And he became one of only five players to have 20-plus passing touchdowns in each of the last three seasons, the others being Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Jared Goff and Justin Herbert.
Smith’s passer rating of 93.2, though, was 19th in the NFL and just above the league average of 92.3, due mostly to throwing 15 interceptions, his most as a Seahawk.
As was well-detailed during the season, five of those came in the red zone, the most in the NFL.
That typified what were overall struggles inside the red zone for Smith and the offense as a whole – Smith completed just 27 of 56 passes (48.2%) inside the 20 with 10 TDs.
There were, however, some mitigating factors for both stats.
The idea that Smith simply “isn’t clutch” is belied by his red-zone success in 2023 and 2022, when he had touchdown-to-interceptions ratios of 15-2 and 18-0, respectively.
And in what is at least one piece of evidence that Smith was at times the victim of luck and circumstance, Pro Football Focus gave him a turnover worthy-play percentage of just 2.7%, despite the 15 interceptions.
As a comparison, Herbert of the Chargers had a TWP% of 2.6, but threw only three interceptions all season before then throwing four against Houston in the playoffs, one a catchable pass right off the hands of former Seahawk tight end Will Dissly.
In other words, looking simply at Smith’s interception numbers may not tell the complete picture, with luck, circumstance and the percentages all playing a role, as well.
The scheme and what Smith was asked to do, of course, was also a factor.
But that is already sure to change with the firing last week of offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
That Smith was able to start all 17 games and use his legs effectively to the end of the season – he rushed for 272 yards, averaging 5.1 per attempt – also indicated that his age isn’t yet an issue.
Howell played substantially only once, when Smith was knocked out of the Green Bay game in the third quarter. Howell entered a game that already felt like a lost cause but struggled to get much done, going 5 of 14 for 24 yards with four sacks.
Hall, a second-year quarterback signed to the practice squad before the season after being waived by the Vikings, didn’t play, but was signed to the active roster for the final three games of the season as insurance following Smith’s injury against Green Bay.
2025 preview
As has been a topic of discussion for months now, Smith’s future will be the big question of the offseason for Seattle.
The new offensive coordinator will change the dynamic of the offense next season, but it’s hard to figure that hire would have too much influence on any long-term decisions regarding Smith.
Neither side is likely to want Smith to play out the 2025 season on his current contract; the Seahawks have long had a precedent of re-signing key players before the final year of their deal, and elite quarterbacks as a position also rarely play out contracts.
That means negotiations on an extension seem sure to start up in the near future, with something figured out by the time the new league year begins on March 12 and in advance of Smith’s roster bonus coming due.
Macdonald’s statement seemed to pretty strongly indicate what he hopes will happen, though he cautioned that “ultimately it’s not my decision. It’s a Seahawks decision. But Geno knows how we feel about him and we love him as our starting quarterback for sure.”
A week ago Sunday following the season-ending win over the Rams, and before the news about Grubb was announced, Smith spoke optimistically of what may lie ahead in Seattle.
“I just believe we have a bright future, man,” Smith said. “I believe we’re getting better. It’s Coach Macdonald’s first year and just all the things that he’s battled through, the way that he’s led us. Not starting out the way that we wanted to but regrouping at the bye and then coming out and having that fire. I thought the intensity in our practices and the way that we met, the way that we talked ball showed up on the field and it gave us a chance at the end and that’s all that matters. But anything else, man, I’m just focused on winning. I look forward to the future.”