Getty Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is set to be a free agent this offseason.
Everyone wants to be the Kansas City Chiefs. Given that the Chiefs have been to five straight conference championships and three of the last four Super Bowls, it’s not hard to figure out why.
The Seattle Seahawks may be a couple steps away from being the Chiefs, but Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer argued that with Geno Smith and their quarterback plans, the Seahawks could emulate the Chiefs in one way this offseason.
“The template for Geno with the Seahawks, as I see it, could very well be Alex Smith in Kansas City,” Breer wrote. “You pay Smith well. He’ll give you a great chance to compete and contend and build the roster up around him.
“And in the meantime, you’ll be on the lookout for any special opportunity that comes along.”
Smith is coming off a career year and will enter this offseason as a free agent.
Smith’s Market ‘Very Hard to Gauge’?
Geno Smith seemingly sent his market value through the roof during the 2022 season. He led the NFL with a 69.8% completion percentage and posted 4,282 passing yards with 30 touchdowns on his way to his first Pro Bowl selection.
Speculation that Smith would be paid an average annual salary greater than $30 million on his next contract surfaced as early as late November.
Breer didn’t necessarily disagree with that assessment, but he did argue it’s not clear what exactly Smith might be paid on his next deal.
“Smith’s market is very hard to gauge right now, because we don’t know what will happen with Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson and Tom Brady, and guys like Derek Carr, Daniel Jones and Baker Mayfield will be available too,” Breer wrote. “If those first three stick with their teams? That’d help Geno.
“If not, well, a lot of this will come down to how many open seats there are for starting quarterbacks—and if there are more quarterbacks than seats, it’ll be hard for any of the available QBs to break the bank.”
Depending on the contract figures and who is available, there could be a scenario where Smith doesn’t have a hot market in free agency. However, the veteran quarterback proved his worth in Seattle, and Breer’s comparison of Geno Smith to Alex Smith in Kansas City is an interesting one.
Alex Smith led the Chiefs to a wild card appearance while making his first Pro Bowl at 29 in 2013. Over the next four years, Alex remained the Chiefs starting quarterback, leading them to three more playoff appearances. He also made another two Pro Bowls.
With Smith starting behind center, Kansas City built a complete roster. Then when the franchise felt a once-in-a-generation quarterback was available for them in the draft, it pounced on Patrick Mahomes.
The odds are against Geno Smith leading the Seahawks to a Super Bowl. However, he’s a quarterback who can keep the Seahawks competitive and win a lot of games.
Paying Smith well to do that while building the roster and waiting for the perfect young quarterback to arrive via the draft is a very viable formula for the Seahawks. It’s a template that worked terrifically for the Chiefs.
Seahawks Hold No. 5 Draft Selection
The biggest issue for the Seahawks following that template is that the Chiefs never held the No. 5 pick when they had Alex Smith as quarterback. That’s where the Seahawks will be drafting in the first round this year.
The 2023 quarterback class is expected to be a deep one too. The ESPN consensus draft rankings have three signal callers rated as Top 15 players in the draft class.
Breer’s proposed Chiefs template sounds great on paper. At No. 5, the Seahawks could grab a true difference-maker for their defense. The team could be even better with Smith returning in 2023.
But if any of the top signal callers are still available, one can’t blame the Seahawks for considering them at No. 5 even if they re-sign Smith to a multi-year deal.