5 Seattle Seahawks who cannot afford to get complacent in 2024

Jason Myers - Seahawks kicker

Myers was not awful in 2023, but he followed a trend that has been part of his career since 2018. That is that Myers will have a year where he makes more than 90 percent of his field goal attempts followed by a season where he struggles to make barebly better than 80 percent of his attempts. Last year, Myers made 83.3 percent of his attempts. If the trend continues, Myers will be excellent in 2024.

What if that does not happen, though? If he has another year where he barely makes 80 percent of his attempts - the NFL average is around 85 percent - then Seattle might have no other choice but to begin looking for a new kicker. That would not have happened this offseason as releasing Myers would have had a negative impact on the salary cap. If he is released next offseason, the team would save about $2.3 million.

Geno Smith - Seahawks quarterback

Geno Smith has certainly said all the right words since Seattle traded for Sam Howell this offseason. He has been team-first and player-second. Smith is still expected to be QB1, and Howell will be QB2. The issue for Smith is that Howell, like any competitor, is not going to show up to camp and be resigned to his fate. He is going to want to battle to start. Plus, he is ten years younger than Smith, and all things being equal otherwise, Howell might be the wiser choice to start because he has a much longer shelf life.

Smith has proven that he can be a good starter in the league, however. He led the NFL in completion percentage in 2022 and the NFL in game-winning drives and fourth quarter comebacks in 2023. He is not a bad quarterback, though many pundits want that to be his narrative.

Smith does need to prove to the new coaching staff that he is worthy of starting for the rest of his contract, which runs through 2025. If the coaches and John Schneider are not sold on Smith after 2024 - if he underperforms this season - then Seattle could make Howell the start, release Smith, and save $25 million next offseason.

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