Seahawks Coach Mike Macdonald Seeing How QB Situation 'Shakes Out'
The future of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith was thought to be a little uncertain given the out in his three-year, $75 million contract this coming league season.
Smith had a down year by his 2022 Pro Bowl standards. He had the Seahawks sitting at 6-3 before a four-game losing streak put their season at a breaking strain, and it was one they couldn't recover from.
Incoming head coach Mike Macdonald might have given us a little insight into his thinking when it comes to the quarterback situation moving forward.
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"Well, we've played against Geno, he's a really good player," Macdonald said. "We're going to build around the quarterback. You've got to. Just like we say on defense, we build the system around the players on defense, we're going to build it around the players on offense, and the most important player is the QB. We'll see how the whole situation shakes out over time. But excited to get to meet those guys, Drew (Lock).
"I talked to Geno briefly after our game and told him how much I respected him, not anticipating I'd see him in six months or three months or however long it's been, but yeah, really just excited to meet the rest of the guys. Especially the QBs, and get to know them and kind of see what makes them tick so we can start to build the system around them."
Can we take that as Geno will be returning in 2024?
Quite possibly, and given how the offense looked at times with Smith orchestrating it, having the veteran return could prove to be the smoothest option for Macdonald.
The continuity that bringing Smith back would create shouldn't be understated, especially with the weapons the Seahawks have at their disposal in D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kenneth Walker, Noah Fant and Zach Charbonnet.
Having been so close to a playoff spot this season, Seattle isn't far off making a deep postseason run, and that could be easier with Smith under center.
It's not a foregone conclusion that Geno returns given he has no guaranteed money left on his contract, but if we are reading the tea leaves correctly, Macdonald wants to build the offense around the quarterback - which likely will be Smith.
