Following Sam Howell’s trade, Seattle Seahawks head coach made plain his position on starting quarterback.
Seattle Seahawks’ new head coach Mike Macdonald has made it clear that Geno Smith is their starting quarterback. This comes despite the team trading for Sam Howell, who will instead be competing for the spot.
The Seahawks and Washington Commanders swapped draft picks this year. Washington got a third and fifth-round pick, while Seattle received Sam Howell, a fourth and sixth-round pick. Last year, Howell was the team’s captain and did well in his first year as a starter, even though the offensive system was struggling.
The Seahawks needed a back-up quarterback after Drew Lock went to the New York Giants. They jumped at the chance to trade for Howell, who general manager John Schneider had said he liked during the 2022 NFL Draft process. Because Seattle spoke so highly of Howell, many people started to wonder if he might get the chance to compete for the starting job.
However, the new boss Macdonald has made it clear there’s no competition for the top spot. He told NFL Network: “I don’t. I’ve talked to Geno about it. Very confident in Geno. Geno’s going to be our starter. Sam knows he’s going to be our backup, but Sam is a great young player, and he’s got a really bright future that we believe in.”
Both Smith and Howell have deals for two more years that are easy on the wallet, while the Seahawks are busy making their team better after saying goodbye to coach Pete Carroll. Seattle said farewell to lots of players who were part of Carroll’s team, like letting go of top safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs and not keeping legendary linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Even with two quarterbacks ready to play, the Seahawks might still look at new ones in the NFL Draft, especially after changing things up this offseason. The Seahawks have made a clean sweep of their coaching staff, including sacking Carroll. They’ve brought in Ryan Grubb, who used to call the plays for the Washington Huskies, as their new offensive coordinator.
Grubb has spent two seasons working closely with Michael Penix Jr, a quarterback who’s likely to be in the NFL Draft and could end up at Seattle. Smith is set to be the main man this season, but his contract suggests he could be let go after the 2024 season. This would free up $25 million in cap space and leave Howell and potentially a draft pick to step up.
Smith has been a Pro Bowler for the last two seasons since he took over from Russell Wilson, who was traded to the Denver Broncos in a mega-deal. Wilson has since been released and signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
