Mike Macdonald believes Seahawks 'can win a championship with Geno Smith'

Geno Smith isn't going anywhere, according to Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald.

Connor Benintendi | Feb 7, 2025

Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) celebrates after defeating the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Seattle Seahawks

Whether a contingent of fans and critics like it or not, it appears Geno Smith will be the Seattle Seahawks quarterback at least in 2025. Even with his raw statistics dipping this season, head coach Mike Macdonald is adamant about retaining Smith for next season.

In an interview with FOX 13 Seattle's Aaron Levine, Macdonald expressed his optimism about the team not only continuing to employ Smith as their starter, but also his confidence in the team's ability to win a championship behind his play.

“Yeah. Heck yeah, man,” Macdonald said when asked about Smith being the team’s quarterback in 2025. “Geno’s our quarterback, I don’t understand the conversation. It’s pretty obvious this guy’s a heck of a quarterback, he’s our quarterback, we love him. Can’t wait to go to work with him.

“We’ve had a lot of non-football conversations … over the last month or so, and he’s really excited about [offensive coordinator] Klint [Kubiak] taking over. This guy, he’s a great player, man, and we can win a championship with Geno Smith. We really believe that and can’t wait to get back to work with him.”

Dec 26, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) warms up before a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. / Talia Sprague-Imagn Images

Macdonald's offensive experiment with first-time NFL coordinator Ryan Grubb failed this season, prompting him to bring in Kubiak — an experienced coach and coordinator in the league. Kubiak, who has coordinated quality rushing attacks in the past, could help take the pressure off Smith even if the team is unable to fix its shaky offensive line.

Smith set franchise records in completions (407), pass attempts (578), completion percentage (70.4) and passing yards (4,320) in 2024. Seattle's offense relied on Smith's right arm to have any consistent production due to an ineffective run game.

Still, Seattle finished with 10 wins for the first time since 2020. The Seahawks were the only team this season to win double digit games and not make the postseason among 15 teams that reached that mark.

Seattle hasn't won a playoff game since 2019, and has only reached the postseason once (2022) in the three seasons Smith has been the team's starter. He will need a better supporting cast on the offensive line if Macdonald and the Seahawks hope to contend for a Super Bowl in 2025.

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