Getty The Seahawks could land Geno Smith's eventual replacement in the University of Michigan's J.J. McCarthy.
The Seattle Seahawks could be looking at Geno Smith’s eventual successor at quarterback.
As predicted by CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso in his 2024 NFL Mock Draft, he projects the Seahawks to land University of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the draft. McCarthy would be the third overall quarterback picked in the draft, behind the likes of USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
Trapasso raves over McCarthy’s arm talent and brings up how the Seahawks’ top receivers will benefit from it.
“McCarthy has the arm talent and predisposition to let it rip downfield that Pete Carroll will love, and it blends well with the likes of DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba at receiver,” wrote Trapasso on September 18.
Why Seahawks Could Land J.J. McCarthy With First-Round Pick
While Williams and Maye are obviously the most highly-regarded quarterback prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class, McCarthy is receiving high praise after leading the Wolverines to a College Football Playoff appearance last season.
Some scouts believe that McCarthy could potentially emerge as the top quarterback prospect in the upcoming draft class, according to Big Ten Network analyst Adam Breneman.
“According to reports last week from NFL scouts, many believe that Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy has the potential to be the best QB in the country, and possibly the first quarterback off the board in 2024,” said Breneman back in August. “Some scouts say his arm talent has more upside than any other quarterback they’ve scouted in next years draft, and that they believe McCarthy can lead Michigan to a national championship and take home the Heisman along the way.”
Furthermore, he’s also off to a hot start this season, leading Michigan to a 5-0 record and No. 2 overall ranking in the nation.
We should be talking about JJ McCarthy a lot more
McCarthy currently leads the Big Ten in a number of passing categories, including passer efficiency rating (191.6), passing yards per attempt (10.3) and completion percentage (79%) — he leads the nation in completion percentage — while also ranking No. 2 in touchdowns (10).
In 5 games JJ McCarthy has accounted for over 1000 yds of offense and 11 touchdowns while leading the nation in completion percentage and he has never stepped foot on the field in the 4th quarter 🥶
How J.J. McCarthy Could Eventually Succeed Geno Smith
The Seahawks would be drafting the 6-foot-3, 202-pound quarterback with the obvious plan of him eventually succeeding Geno Smith at quarterback. Smith — who will turn 33 years old this month — signed a three-year, $75 million deal this offseason after a breakout campaign last year. Smith clinched the first Pro Bowl bid of his career while surprisingly leading the Seahawks to the playoffs.
While Smith is technically locked in for three seasons, there is an out in the contract where Seattle could move on from the veteran quarterback after this season. If the Seahawks were to move off of Smith during the 2024 offseason, it would result in a dead cap hit of $17.4 million.
Furthermore, if they wait until the 2025 offseason, they could cut/trade Smith for a dead cap hit of $8.7 million.
Long story short, if Smith starts to fizzle or the Seahawks feel he’s not their long-term option at quarterback, they could cut ties with the veteran quarterback with a minor financial hit while moving towards the future in McCarthy.
It’s worth noting that the Seahawks are off to a solid start this season. After a disappointing season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle has now won three straight games following their 24-3 thrashing of the New York Giants. The Seahawks are currently 3-1 and among the better teams in the NFC.
Furthermore, Smith is continuing to play well, throwing for five touchdowns against one interception through the first three weeks of the season. His touchdown pass to DK Metcalf in the win over the Giants marked his 15th consecutive game with a touchdown pass, the second-longest active streak in the NFL.
However, considering Smith’s age, the Seahawks may still look to draft his eventual successor in the first round of next year’s draft.