Seahawks QB Situation: Top Offseason Priority?

The Seattle Seahawks appeared to be a decent bet to make the playoffs after doing so in the first year without Russell Wilson, as Geno Smith had a Pro Bowl season.

He couldn’t quite recreate that in 2023, and as a result, the Seahawks were inconsistent and missed the playoffs at 9-8 despite being 6-3 at one point. What is the Seahawks’ top priority on the field this offseason, as we look ahead to an offseason that will be dominated early on by the head coaching search after Pete Carroll was removed of his duties?

The quarterbacks are the focus of ESPN’s attention.

“Identifying — and helping — their quarterbacks is key for the Seahawks,” the report said. “The first part of this shouldn’t be too difficult. Geno Smith’s $12.7 million basic contract for 2024 will become completely guaranteed if he remains on the roster after Feb. 16, making that date a possible cutoff for determining whether he’ll remain the starting quarterback. Even if they keep Smith, they’ll need to re-sign Drew Lock and/or draft a backup. They’ll also have to figure out how to improve their quarterback’s third-down performance, which has been a stumbling block for the Seattle attack for years.”

This season, the Seahawks offense was up and down. Things were going well at first, but after a four-game losing run, the wheels went off for a month. According to ESPN, Seattle has to improve on third down. The Seahawks finished the regular season 23rd in third-down conversion percentage, converting only 36.23 percent of the time. That will not enough for a squad with postseason aspirations.

Another concern made by ESPN is who will be the starting quarterback next season. Seattle currently holds the No. 16 overall pick, so trading up to be in position to choose a quarterback would almost certainly necessitate an outrageous amount of money.

Smith does have a contract option in 2024, and it will be fascinating to watch how the team handles that in the future. There are numerous issues that the Seahawks must handle, but the most pressing (apart from hiring a new head coach) appears to be determining their quarterback situation.