Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald: Geno Smith is ‘going to be our starter’
Geno Smith is still the man at quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, and his position as QB1 has arguably never been more secure than it is right now. Trading for Sam Howell made it much less likely that Seattle will target a potential new starter in the 2024 NFL draft, giving Smith more breathing room and time to prove he can lead this team on a deep playoff run.
Smith also has the full confidence of the front office – at least according to their public statements. After the Howell trade general manager John Schneider told the media that he will be backing up Smith. Head coach Mike Macdonald echoed the same sentiment this weekend at the league owners meetings in Orlando. Here’s what he said when he was asked if he expects a QB competition, per Tom Pelissero at NFL Network.
“l don’t. I’ve talked to Geno about it. Very confident in Geno. Geno’s going to be our starter. Sam (Howell) 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.”
Smith will turn 34 years old about a month into the 2024 season, but if anything he seems to be getting better with age rather than declining. While Smith’s numbers from last season were down compared to 2023 that ignores the context of a league-wide offensive turndown. In many ways, Smith got even better in his second full year as Seattle’s starter, especially in avoiding sacks and throwing under pressure.
There’s not a whole lot Smith can do better than he already is to push the Seahawks to the next level. The team needs to radically improve on defense and give him a better offensive line. If those two things happen a push to the NFC title game is certainly a possibility.
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