Seahawks Should Prioritize Re-Signing Geno Smith Over Other Veteran Quarterback Options
For the first time in a decade, the Seahawks turned the page at quarterback by trading Russell Wilson to the Broncos for a boatload of draft picks and three veteran players, initiating a new era for the franchise.
Nearly two weeks after the deal became official, Seattle currently has only two signal callers on the roster in Drew Lock - who came as part of the trade - and former Washington standout Jacob Eason. Given the former's struggles his last two seasons in Denver and the latter's lack of experience, the team has been linked to everyone from the embattled Deshaun Watson to Jimmy Garoppolo to Baker Mayfield over the past few weeks.
While general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll have kept the door for all of those options to be on the table and players such as Mayfield still could come to town, if the Seahawks want to be competitive this year while still focusing on the future, their best bet to compete against Lock and Eason isn't currently on another roster. After making three starts in Wilson's absence last year, Geno Smith would be the better bridge quarterback for a number of reasons.
Smith, 31, only played 18 total snaps in his first two seasons serving as a backup behind the ever-so-durable Wilson, seeing limited action in a blowout win over the Jets late in the 2020 season. Entering last season, he hadn't started a game since way back in 2017 with the Giants when he replaced a benched Eli Manning.
But nearly four years after his most recent start, Smith stepped into an incredibly difficult situation in a Thursday night battle against the Rams when Wilson suffered a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger and had to exit. Showing no signs of rust and doing a stellar job of orchestrating coordinator Shane Waldron's offense, he marched the Seahawks right down the field on a 98-yard touchdown drive and connected with receiver DK Metcalf for a touchdown.
While a late interception thrown by Smith that was intended for Tyler Lockett, who tripped while cutting inside on a dig route, prevented Seattle from coming back to tie the game, the former West Virginia star gave a gutsy performance under center. Though he couldn't lead his team to the finish line on failed game-winning drives in two of the next three games replacing Wilson, he played the role of point guard exactly as Carroll has described the quarterback position on numerous occasions.
In a recent interview with ESPN 710, Carroll heaped praise on Smith for his efforts, crediting him for unloading the ball quickly from the pocket and handling the role of distributor as well as the Seahawks possibly could have asked from him.
"By the time he got a couple games under his belt after sitting for three or four years, he functioned in the Jacksonville game as well as you can function and he had a beautiful game there," Carroll said of Smith's performance. "And that looked like the culmination of his return, kind of. And unfortunately we didn't get to capitalize to see what the next step would be because Russ came back and played. But he popped the ball around, he was fast with the football and got it out and did some really cool things."
In nearly every sense, Smith facilitated Seattle's offense like the point guard Carroll wants under center. In four games, including the three aforementioned starts, he completed 68.4 percent of his pass attempts, throwing five touchdowns compared to only one interception. He did lose a crucial fumble in overtime during a loss to the Steelers in Week 6, but otherwise took great care of the football despite being under persistent pressure.
In those four games, the veteran quarterback also built an immediate rapport with Metcalf and the two hit off famously as Smith hooked up with the former All-Pro receiver 17 times on 21 pass attempts for 251 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 156.1 passer rating. This included an 84-yard touchdown strike to open scoring in an Week 7 loss to the Saints.
What really stood out from Smith's run as a starter was his third down efficiency. Even when healthy in the first five games, Wilson ranked near the bottom of the league in completion percentage on third down (34.8 percent) and never could correct that issue throughout the season. In comparison, Smith's completion rate was nearly 30 percent higher and he completed eight passes for first downs, only two less than his counterpart on 15 fewer attempts. He also posted a passer rating close to 23 points better in those situations.
On top of his stellar passing and third down numbers, Smith also contributed with his legs, rushing nine times for 42 yards and picking up three first downs as a runner. He extended plays when he needed to looking to past first and tucked and ran when he needed to.
Of course, Smith obviously wasn't perfect, taking far too many sacks for Carroll's liking, particularly in critical situations late that may have cost them wins over the Steelers and Saints. Off the field, he was arrested for a DUI after the Seahawks' season finale in January, which cast doubt about whether or not he would be retained.
But when asked by reporters on March 16 about Lock's chances of leading the Seahawks to a championship, he responded by lauding the former Missouri star's physical tools before eventually transitioning to talking about Smith instead. Though still unsigned, he said the veteran "knows our offense best," making it sound as if he was already part of the team and would be competing for the starting job. He seemed to double down on that idea in his ESPN 710 interview days later.
"I'd like to get Geno hooked up and get him back in [here]," Carroll remarked. "He showed us a good deal of command of our offense when he played last year and he has a terrific understanding of it so he's out in front of the other guys that are involved in the competition in that regard."
With the 2022 NFL Draft only a month away, there's plenty of speculation about the Seahawks using one of their eight draft picks on a quarterback. Even with this year's class not receiving glowing reviews from most experts, prospects such as Liberty's Malik Willis, Mississippi's Matt Corral and North Carolina's Sam Howell have been linked to the team as possibilities with one of their three first and second-round selections.
But even if Seattle intends to draft its quarterback of the future next month, the team has nothing to lose bringing Smith back onboard to compete against Lock, who hasn't done anything to this point to suggest he's a viable starter. In fact, he earned that opportunity with how well he played under adverse circumstances last year and Carroll's comments make it clear he agrees.
Do those remarks rule out the possibility Mayfield or Garoppolo or another quarterback such as Gardner Minshew or Tyler Huntley coming to the Pacific Northwest via trade? Absolutely not. Again, Schneider and Carroll won't leave any stones unturned as they try to figure out their course of action at the most important position in professional sports and bring in the best competition possible. If Mayfield or Garoppolo gets cut, then they may be preferred alternatives.
But as the Seahawks prepare to embark on what could be a multi-year re-tooling, they shouldn't be keen on the idea of giving up extensive draft capital for quarterbacks other teams no longer want. In regard to scheme fit, familiarity, and cost, Smith makes far more sense without having to worry about surrendering picks for his services and at worst, he will remain a quality backup for whoever ultimately wins the starting job.
