Geno Smith is very unlikely to be going anywhere. In fact, those Seattle Seahawks fans who don't like Smith might want to get used to complaining about him. In all likelihood, Smith is going to be the team's starting quarterback in 2025, and 2027 as well. He hasn't been the problem with the team, though the quarterback position is the easiest to blame.
To be fair, Smith accepts blame after losses even when he shouldn't. He knows he plays the most important position in football, and that means accepting blame and praise. Too much so of both, most of the time. Veterans such as Smith know this.
But Smith has also been a good quarterback, even though many fans will never accept that. He has, to list these again (it seems like a contractural component at this point), at times led the NFC in touchdown passes, made the Pro Bowl twice in his three seasons as QB1, led the league in game-winning drives and fourth quarter comebacks, and the league in completion percentage.
Seattle Seahawks general manager explains why he thinks Geno Smith should be QB1
In three years, Smith has a completion percentage of 68.5 percent. He also got an MVP vote in 2022, something former long-time starter Russell Wilson has never been able to do. Maybe Smith is not the best Seahawks quarterback ever and Wilson is, but Smith is better than Wilson right now.
Speaking with Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, general manager John Schneider defined Smith this way: "Toughness, grit, huge competitor. Like all of us, we have some regrets with decisions we make. He had some balls he’d like to have back. But he was awesome."
There has been little dispute that Smith wants to win and can be quite fierce on the sidelines. He knows what it is like not to get to start for several seasons in a row. He certainly doesn't want to repeat those years, so he might be a bit more high-strung than some other players. Or, maybe as Schneider said, Smith is simply a naturally intense competitor.
Did the Seahawks QB1 make some mistakes in 2024? Absolutely. There is also little chance Seattle comes close to sniffing a 10-7 record if Sam Howell is the quarterback. Or, likely, if more than half the league's starting quarterbacks were the quarterback in Seattle. Smith might not be the best quarterback in the league, but, statistically speaking, he is certainly in the top half.
The Seahawks clearly believe in him, and that is the most important thing. Smith very well could be signing a contract extension within the next couple of weeks. He is probably going to be Seattle's QB1 for a few more years.
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