These numbers give clear indication of who should be Seahawks starting QB in 2024

Geno Smith will enter the 2024 season as the Seattle Seahawks' likely starting QB. He has earned the right to be the Seahawks QB1 given his play both in 2022 and 2023. The question is how well Smith will adjust to a new offensive coordinator and playbook in 2024.

Both Smith and his receivers are going to need to learn the new playbook and develop a good relationship with OC Ryan Grubb. The transition to a new offense should be easier for Smith, having already played with the Seahawks receivers the last two seasons.

That is the one clear advantage Smith has over Sam Howell. Otherwise, both quarterbacks are being seen for the first time by a new coaching staff. Both could be worthy of starting for Seattle in 2024.

Should the Seattle Seahawks have a starting quarterback battle in 2024?

Here is how Geno has played the past two years and where he stands among other NFL QBs

Geno Smith cemented himself as the Seahawks starting quarterback in 2022, by putting together a season that earned him the Comeback Player of the Year award. In 2022, Smith finished seventh in the league in QBR. He threw 30 TD passes (fourth in the league), completed 69.8 percent of his passes (first in the league), threw for 4,282 yards (eight in the league), and had just 11 INTs. This is what earned Smith a 3yr/$75 million contract extension with the Seahawks.

In 2023, Smith's numbers were not quite as good as they were in 2022. He fell to 14th in the league in QBR, 16th in passing yards (3,624), 17th in TD passes (20), and had 9 INTs. Also, Smith played in two fewer games in 2023 than he did in 2022, after missing two starts due to an injury last season. Though Smith's stats were not as good in 2023 as they were in 2022, he had better numbers than Sam Howell did this past season.

How Sam Howell played in 2023 compared to Smith and the rest of the league

Sam Howell finished his 2023 season at 24th in the league in QBR (ten spots behind Smith). His QBR was plagued by issues with sacks and interceptions, as Howell finished with a league-worst 21 interceptions and was sacked 65 times (also league-worst). Howell had slightly fewer passing yards per game than Smith.

Howell threw for 232.1 yards per game (17th in the league) to Smith's 241.6 yards per game (14th in the league). Also, Howell threw just one more touchdown pass than Smith last season, with 21 TD passes in 2023 (15th in the league, while starting two more games than Smith).

Where Geno Smith and Sam Howell stand going into 2024

As previously mentioned, Geno Smith should be the Seahawks starting QB going into 2024. His ability to take care of the football and experience working with the Seahawks receivers the past two seasons give him a clear advantage over Sam Howell going into 2024. Smith also has a statistical advantage over Howell in QBR (Smith's 2023 QBR 59.5, Howell's 2023 QBR 42.4). Looking ahead to the 2024 season, Smith appears to have a leg up on Sam Howell for the starting QB position.

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