The Seattle Seahawks probably will not have a better option to win at least nine games in 2025 than quarterback Geno Smith. That could mean he will likely return next season and play out the final year of his contract.
General manager John Schneider might also decide 2025 is a full rebuild year, release Smith and save $25 million, and try to move up to take one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL draft. Anything is possible this offseason for Seattle. That was proven by the team firing offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb a day after the season.
If (and this is a huge if) Geno Smith is released, he could end up with one of the five teams below. The quarterback is less likely to be traded, and he probably would not bring a high draft pick back if he is moved. In other words, Seattle would start over at quarterback and Smith would start over with one of these AFC teams.
Five possibilities for quarterback Geno Smith if he is released by the Seattle Seahawks
Cleveland Browns
The Browns are a complete mess offensively, but their defense is pretty good. What Cleveland needs is a quarterback who isn't a waste of money (Deshaun Watson) or a quarterback who is the NFL's equivalent to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Jameis Winston). Assuming Smith is released, Cleveland could sign Smith, a better quarterback at this point than Watson or Winston), to likely an inexpensive deal.
Watson also tore his Achilles tendon and is likely to miss most of next season, if not all. Cleveland could bring in Smith, and that alone should push them closer to the playoffs. The Browns are not without offensive weapons (they have Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, and a couple of decent running backs), and Smith could elevate the offense and help Cleveland get closer to nine wins.
Las Vegas Raiders
There is one scenario that might be ideal for Smith to go to Vegas and that is if the Raiders decide to hire Pete Carroll as their new head coach. Carroll reportedly interviewed with Las Vegas this week for that job. He might not be the favorite, but he also would not be a bad hire.
Adding Smith to a Carroll-lead team would make the head coach's attempt to rebuild the culture easier. He would have a quarterback he could trust, and the quarterback would trust the head coach. Knowing what each expects is often an overlooked meaningful aspect of whether an NFL team wins or loses.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans have a fairly terrible offensive line, but that is not something Smith would have to get used to. The quarterback had a terrible offensive line with the Seahawks as well. Smith was sacked 50 times in 2024, the second-most in the league, and the line was even worse at run-blocking.
Did Smith make mistakes? Sure. But it doesn't help when the offensive line often forces quicker decisions that most other quarterbacks have to deal with.
Tennessee has a couple of good skill positions players in the persons of Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard. Plus, the Titans' AFC South is not exactly filled with good teams. Adding veteran Smith could get Tennessee a few more wins and give them a bridge quarterback for a couple of seasons.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Would Pittsburgh trade one former Seahawks quarterback for another? Sure, if it potentially made the team better. Russell Wilson started off well after coming back from an injury for the Steelers this season, but then digressed greatly and Pittsburgh lost its last five games. Smith is a better quarterback than Wilson at this point.
Smith is likely a better teammate as well. Wilson's robotic answers and, at times, me-first attitude can turn some in the locker room against him. There would be little doubt that Smith wants what is best for the team overall, and that mirrors the Steelers' culture perfectly.
New York Jets
This would certainly make for a great story for Geno Smith. He returns to the team that drafted him and then was the first team to give up on him, and Smith could help the Jets quickly rebound from the Aaron Rodgers experiment. Rodgers was a shell of his former self and could not move well at all, and that appears to have affected how much zip he can put on passes. His legs are gone.
Smith still has the ability to move around well, and he should actually do that more. Plus, New York has some good offensive skill position players, such as Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, and a defense that could win at a high level. One of the major problems was quarterback play. Smith could return as a hero in New York after originally leaving as a bust.