New Seahawks coach has telling quote about Geno Smith

The Seattle Seahawks and Geno Smith recently agreed to a restructured contract, but that does not mean new head coach Mike Macdonald is ready to commit to the veteran quarterback heading into 2024.

In a recent interview with KCPQ’s Aaron Levine, Macdonald was asked if the Seahawks plan to keep both Smith and backup quarterback Drew Lock involved with the organization going forward. He offered a very noncommittal response.

“That’s a tough question, and it’s one that I probably can’t answer right now,” Macdonald said, as transcribed by Bobby Kownack of NFL.com. “But we’re doing a lot of work on those guys. And I’ve had conversations just to get to know them, understand who they are as people and their background, goals and what their family’s like and where they’re from. I didn’t know anything about them coming into this whole thing. So, right now we’re in the phase of figuring out who they are. Obviously, one or two, or both, would fit into our plans moving forward. But right now, probably don’t have that answer for you.”

The Seahawks allowed Smith’s base salary of $12.7 million to become fully guaranteed when they kept him on the roster earlier in February. They then turned his roster bonus into a signing bonus with a restructured contract to free up salary cap space.

Smith won Seattle’s starting QB job in training camp two years ago and revived his career. He had career highs across the board in 2022 with 4,282 yards and 30 touchdown passes compared to 11 interceptions. He parlayed that success into a three-year, $75 million contract extension that included millions in incentives.

Though he played well overall, Smith was not quite as productive last season. He finished with 3,624 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine picks.

Financially, the Seahawks are committed to Smith. A trade is still an option, of course, and Seattle would probably be willing to listen to offers. That might explain why Macdonald is not ready to make any commitments.