Seattle Seahawks News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Seattle Seahawks Face Looming QB Controversy: ‘He’ll battle his ass off’

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics | By Matt Lombardo | Last updated 3/21/24

When the Seattle Seahawks acquired Sam Howell in a trade with Washington, general manager John Schneider didn’t just take a flier on a young quarterback with upside but might have also fired the starting gun on a position battle for the starting job.

Seattle acquired Howell, a fourth-round draft pick (No. 102 overall) and a sixth-rounder (No. 179) in exchange for picks in the third (No. 78) and fifth (No. 152) rounds of the upcoming NFL Draft. While that might not qualify as a blockbuster trade, it certainly is a steep price to pay to simply upgrade the backup quarterback position.

ESPN’s Brady Henderson believes an open competition for the starting quarterback job could be looming for the Seahawks between Smith and Howell.

“General manager John Schneider told Seattle Sports 710 AM that quarterback Geno Smith is ‘the guy,'” Henderson writes. And that Howell is coming in to back him up. But one Seahawks source said he thinks Howell has the talent and drive to push Smith for the starting job. ‘He’ll battle his ass off,’ the source said.”

The stage could potentially be set for one of the more fascinating quarterback battles this spring and summer.

How Committed Are Seattle Seahawks to Geno Smith?

The Seahawks have committed starting quarterback money to Smith, but it remains to be seen if the organization believes he’s best fit to help close the gap on the likes of the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West.

Smith is set to count $26.4 million against the cap for the 2024 campaign and is coming off a wildly inconsistent 2023 season in which he passed for 3,624 yards with 20 touchdowns to nine interceptions but missed two games due to a groin injury.

But, Seattle’s commitment to Smith appears to be tacit at best. After all, the Seahawks didn’t rework Smith’s contract this offseason or lengthen their commitment to him beyond the upcoming season.

Smith is one year removed from leading the Seahawks to the postseason, in 2022, by passing for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns.

However, with new head coach Mike MacDonald arriving in Seattle, he might not view Smith as the Seahawks’ best option for the future, or for 2024.

How Howell Can Unseat Smith for Seahawks’ QB Job

Washington obviously didn’t view Howell as the quarterback of the future, and will try their hand at selecting one with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Last season, Howell passed for 3,946 yards with 21 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions, all while facing a barrage of pressure and being sacked a league-high 65 times behind Washington’s porous offensive line.

There’s always the possibility that Schneider, MacDonald, and the Seahawks believe Howell has more upside in Seattle’s scheme and with the talent they’ve built on offense than Smith does.

Howell’s competitiveness and the fact that he has two years remaining on his contract could make giving him the chance to play his way into the role of the franchise’s long-term quarterback an intriguing possibility.

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: