3 winners (and 2 losers) from Seahawks 2024 offseason overhaul
By Lee Vowell
Loser: QB Geno Smith
To be sure, Geno Smith is not a "loser." He bided his time as a backup for the greater part of a decade and once he got his chance to start for Seattle in 2022, he played well. Though he gets disrespected quite a bit, Smith led the NFL in completion percentage in 2022 and the NFC in touchdown passes, and last year he led the league in both game-winning drives and fourth quarter comebacks. Smith still cannot feel too comfortable in 2024 and beyond.
Seattle traded for quarterback Sam Howell this offseason. Howell was the starter for the Washington Commanders last year and had 21 touchdown passes (as well as a bad 21 interceptions), but he played behind a porous offensive line that allowed teams to sack Howell 65 times. Howell is 10 years younger than Smith and the much cheaper option beyond 2024.
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Should Smith not play as well in 2024, the team could decide to move on from him next offseason. That would save Seattle $25 million. Howell would be the starter at just over a million dollars in 2025 and Seattle could take a quarterback in next year's draft.
Winner: WR DK Metcalf
New OC Grubb has a proven record of knowing how to get his receivers into great situations. This should translate to more catches, more yards, and more touchdowns for Metcalf beginning in 2024. The receiver has never played under an offensive coordinator who will use Metcalf in quite the way Grubb will and in all kinds of routes and alignments.
Grubb did have some excellent receivers at Washington, and a couple of them might have been better pure route-runners than Metcalf is, but none had Metcalf's blend of size, speed, and strength. The expectation should be that Metcalf gets close to 100 catches and 15 touchdowns in 2024. Unless he suffers an injury, Grubb should put Metcalf in a position to have his best season in the league.
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