The new head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Mike Macdonald, has decided on his starting quarterback. Geno Smith will head into the 2024 season as the starter, just like the last two under previous head coach Pete Carroll.
Macdonald will attend a morning news conference on March 26, where the starting quarterback situation was likely a topic from the media. However, that question was answered at the NFL owners’ meeting in Orlando, Florida, on March 23.
“I’ve talked to Geno about it. Very confident in Geno,” Macdonald said, via NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero. “Geno’s going to be our starter. Sam knows he’s going to be our backup, but Sam is a great young player, and he’s got a really bright future that we believe in.”
It comes a few weeks after Macdonald appeared on 93.3 KJR. On the show, Mike Holmgren asked if Smith would be Seattle’s starting quarterback in 2024
“I’m excited for Geno to come in here and start playing and start working,” Macdonald said in answer to Holmgren. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m dodging the answer, but that’s what I’m excited about, for him to come in here and start to build this team the way we envision building it.”
Despite some thinking he was skating around the question, it did come across as Smith was his starter in 2024.
Is Geno Smith the Long-Term Answer in Seattle?
Since the departure of previous Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in 2022, Smith has been the guy. Even when the doubters emerged before he had thrown a ball as a starter in 2022, Smith stayed motivated to silence them.
Smith led the Seahawks to a week one victory in 2022 over the Wilson-led Denver Broncos. It gave the world one of the best post-match interview speeches. Since then, Smith has played some outstanding football as the starting quarterback.
“They wrote me off, I ain’t write back though.”
Geno Smith with a message 🗣
At 33 years old, fans may think Smith is edging toward the end of his career. However, with limited playing time since being drafted by the New York Jets in 2013, he still has plenty of tread on the tires. From the end of the 2014 season to the beginning of the 2022 season, Smith has featured in just 15 games.
In the two seasons he played under Carroll, he has shown he can succeed.
Could Seattle Add a Quarterback in the 2024 Draft?
With the departure of Smith’s backup QB Drew Lock to the New York Giants in free agency, the Seahawks were left with just Smith on the roster.
On March 14, the Seattle Seahawks made a trade with the Washington Commanders, bringing in quarterback Sam Howell. Seattle sent their third- and fifth-round picks (78 and 152), in return getting Howell and Washington’s fourth- and sixth-round picks (102 and 179).
With only two active quarterbacks on the roster, the Seahawks will look to bring in at least one more before training camp begins. Could they do that via the NFL draft?
The Seahawks have a top-30 visit planned for UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee, which was a surprise. Plumlee didn’t receive an invite to the NFL Combine, making the top-30 planned visit questionable.
It does seem to indicate that the Seahawks are looking at drafting a quarterback. They could also go down the route of picking at least one up as a UDFA.
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Seahawks Coach Mike Macdonald Confirms Starting QB for 2024