Getty The Seahawks will retain Geno Smith for the 2024 season.
The Seattle Seahawks have made their decision on Geno Smith’s future.
Smith will remain on the Seahawks’ roster for the 2024 season under his current deal, according to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz.
“Sources to @BleacherReport: The #Seahawks have informed Geno Smith he will be on the roster in 2024 under his current contract,” wrote Schultz on Thursday, February 29. “I’m told Smith has received commitment from Seattle’s front office.”
Geno Smith’s Future With Seahawks Had Been Considered Questionable
The report comes a week after the Seahawks restructured Smith’s contract for cap space. Seattle converted his $9.6 million roster bonus into a signing bonus and created $4.8 million in salary cap space as a result.
Furthermore, the Seahawks allowed a deadline to pass earlier this month that guaranteed his $12.7 million base salary in 2024. He was also originally supposed to receive his roster bonus on March 18, but received it almost a month early after converting it into a signing bonus.
Prior to Schultz’s report and the Seahawks’ restructuring of Smith’s contract, there had been questions regarding whether or not Smith would be in the team’s plans for the 2024 season. Those concerns became bigger once the Seahawks made the decision to move on from Pete Carroll as head coach and hired Mike Macdonald as its new head coach.
Just a week prior, Macdonald gave a cryptic answer regarding Smith and Drew Lock’s future in Seattle.
“That’s a tough question, and it’s one that I probably can’t answer right now,” Macdonald told KCPQ Seattle’s Aaron Levine on Thursday, February 22. “But we’re doing a lot of work on those guys. And I’ve had conversations just to get to know them. Understand who they are as people and their background, goals and what their family’s like and where they’re from. I didn’t know anything about them coming into this whole thing. So, right now we’re in the phase of figuring out who they are. Obviously, one or two, or both, would fit into our plans moving forward. But right now, probably don’t have that answer for you.”
Why Seahawks Are Bringing Geno Smith Back
Smith posted a solid 2023 season, finishing the year as a Pro Bowl alternate after throwing for 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions with 3,624 passing yards and a 92.1 passer rating. However, Seattle failed to make it to the playoffs after making it during the 2022 season. Furthermore, Smith’s play regressed in 2023 compared to 2022.
During the 2022 season, Smith threw 30 touchdowns against 11 interceptions for 4,282 passing yards, a 69.8% completion rate and a 100.9 passer rating. He led the NFL in completion percentage and ranked within the top five in touchdowns and passing yards.
However, it is worth noting that Smith missed two starts due to injury and he still led the NFL in game-winning drives (five) and comebacks (four). According to Pro Football Focus, Smith actually posted an even higher offensive grade (82.9 to 79.8) and passing grade (82.1 to 76.1) in 2023 compared to the 2022 season.
When factoring in Smith’s reasonable cap hit — his $26.4 million cap hit ranks 14th among all quarterbacks — it made little sense for Seattle to move Smith if they’re still intending to compete during the 2o24 season.
The Seahawks have already met with quarterback Jayden Daniels at the NFL Combine, although he’ll likely be off of the board by the time they select at No. 16. With that being said, Seattle could still select a quarterback at No. 16, while grooming him behind Smith during the 2024 season.