3 pros and cons of Geno Smith being Seattle Seahawks QB1 in 2024
By Lee Vowell
A bit of positivity to start with: The Seattle Seahawks could still make the playoffs in 2023. So many NFC teams are 6-7 that there will be a mad rush to make the postseason. While the Los Angeles Rams have the tie-break over Seattle, as long as Los Angeles finishes with one more loss then the tie-break doesn't matter.
Even if Seattle falls to 6-8 with a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football in Week 15, Seattle will still have a chance. While Geno Smith has not been perfect by any stretch of the imagination this year, he proved in 2022 that with the team fighting to make the postseason, he can lead the Seahawks to victories. Anything is possible in the NFL.
But what about next season? Should Seattle run Smith back out onto the field as QB1? Here are some pros and cons of that potential situation.
Pro No. 1 - Geno Smith would be helpful for QB taken in 2024 NFL draft
The Seattle Seahawks roster is not devoid of talent. Hopefully, some of the 2023 rookies will improve in year two much the same way that Boye Mafe got better (at least for a lot of this season). Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has gotten better as the season has moved along and he could be set for a huge 2024. I say this to express that the Seahawks shouldn't completely devolve next year but should be better than 2023 and one thing that could hold them back from any improvement would be starting a rookie at quarterback in Week 1.
Geno Smith proved in 2022 that even in a quarterback battle in training camp with Drew Lock Smith was willing to help even his potential competition (and possible replacement) learn the playbook and scheme. Say what you will about Smith on the field, but he is a good teammate. A rookie quarterback could do worse than to be joining a team with an established starter such as Geno Smith on the roster.
The rookie then could be slowly weaned and get some snaps here or there, and if good enough, could replace Smith during the season. Plus, Smith is at least a serviceable starter with a contract that makes more sense to release him after 2024 than 2023. The cap saving by releasing Smith this coming offseason would be $13.8 million with a $17.4 million dead cap. After the 2024 season, Smith could be released and the Seahawks would save $25 million and Smith's dead cap would be only $8.7 million.