Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith shocked the football world with his performance during the 2022 season. After not being a starter for seven seasons, he took over for Russell Wilson after he was traded to the Denver Broncos. He beat out Drew Lock for the starting job and turned in a magical season.
Smith won the Comeback Player of the Year award and was named a Pro Bowler after leading the NFL with a 69.8 completion percentage. He also helped lead the Seahawks to the postseason, something he is on track to do again in 2023.
Alas, while the team still has a strong chance of making a postseason push, Smith’s production isn’t at the same level. His numbers have dropped across the board while his turnover percentages have gone up.
At points this season, people were wondering if Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll would turn to Lock to become the team’s starter. That didn’t sound like something he was willing to do unless disaster struck, but his outlook could change in the offseason.
That is what Connor Livesay of The 33rd Team expects to happen. In a recent mock draft put together, he believes the Seahawks will use their first-round pick on a quarterback prospect. Jayden Daniels of LSU is who Livesay predicts to land in Seattle as the fifth quarterback taken in the first round.
“The Seattle Seahawks have an interesting decision to make when it comes to the quarterback position. While the Geno Smith story has been a tremendous one to follow, I’m not sure anyone in the Seattle front office thinks he’s the long-term answer. Jayden Daniels is having a Heisman-winning-caliber season and would be an excellent pairing in Seattle with DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Kenneth Walker and Jaxon Smith-Njigba,” wrote Livesay.
Smith signed a three-year deal with the team this past offseason, but there are outs along the way should they want to make a change. If they cut Smith in the 2024 offseason, the Seahawks could save $17.4 million with a dead cap hit of $13.8 million.
That will be something the Seahawks think long and hard about doing, especially depending on how the first round of the draft shakes out. Smith did turn 33 in October, so the franchise should certainly consider a long-term option this offseason should the opportunity present itself.
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