One bad game should not get Geno Smith benched as the quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks. OK, to be real, one awful game. He did throw three touchdown passes and well over 300 yards in Seattle's Week 9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but two of his interceptions were inexcusable. He is signed through 2025, and he has been pretty solid for most of this season.
The team traded for Sam Howell this offseason in a move that appeared somewhat odd at the time, but made a lot of sense after further review. The Washington Commanders did not want Howell anymore, so shipping him away after he started a full season in 2023 was not difficult. Washington saw Howell as a decent quarterback, but not a foundational piece.
Howell is extremely inexpensive for a quarterback in the league. He makes less than a million dollars this year, and barely over that next season. Meanwhile, Smith will have a cap hit close to $40 million in 2025, though releasing him would save the team $25 million. Seattle has very little cap room next offseason, so some tough roster decisions will need to be made and Smith could be part of that.
Geno Smith should remain QB1 and Sam Howell QB2 for the Seattle Seahawks
Should he be, though? And should the Seahawks give Howell a chance to play over Smith to see what he might be able to do in a Seattle uniform?
Smith is having a weird year. He leads the NFL in attempts, completions, passing yards, and, sadly, interceptions. Last year, he led the league in game-winning drives and fourth quarter comebacks. In 2022, he led the NFL in completion percentage and the NFC in touchdown passes. He has been a capable quarterback, though rarely a great one.
His QBR is 88.6, which ranks as 18th in the league. His Total QBR is 51.1, and that is 26th. He led the team to the playoffs in 2022, but he is a big reason the offense is struggling recently. Part of the fault lies with the offensive line, though, as Smith has been sacked 28 times, fourth-most in the league. Based on drop-back percentage, Smith has been sacked the 13th-most times in the NFL.
Does he hold on to the ball sometimes too long? Yes. He probably learned that from Russell Wilson because Wilson and Smith both have tried to create explosive plays at times they simply needed to throw the ball away. But part of the reason Seattle's offense has been anywhere near as good as it has is Smith's ability to sense pressure and move around in the pocket. Can Sam Howell do that?
Replacing Smith with Howell means the Seahawks are giving up on the season. Howell is a far less known commodity than Smith. He is going to make mistakes simply from rust. Still, he would be a lot less expensive next season as QB1 and the cap room created by Smith being released might mean Seattle could sign a good, but high-priced, offensive guard in free agency. (That is a joke; general manager John Schneider would never do that.)
There is no more guarantee that the team would be better with Howell as QB1 in 2024 than Smith. Likely, the offense would be worse. This year. Howell needs to stay as the backup because he only has one year of starting experience and he led the league in interceptions with 21 in 2023. Should the Seahawks struggle to get anywhere close to a .500 record, however, the offseason might see Howell replace Smith.