Unlucky is the word that best describes the Seattle Seahawks’ 2024 season. Despite a stout defensive effort and Geno Smith finishing the season with the fourth-most passing yards among all quarterbacks, they missed out on a playoff berth due to tiebreakers.
However, instead of running it back, some NFL analysts predict that the team will make drastic changes this offseason.
Seattle Seahawks Predicted To Replace Geno Smith
Seattle has gone through a radical transformation over the last few seasons. First, the team parted ways with Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson, trading him to the Denver Broncos in a blockbuster deal. Then, head coach Pete Carroll also found himself on the outs.
Now, the team is led by Smith and head coach Mike Macdonald, who are still looking for their first playoff appearance. This offseason, the Sporting News (and PFSN) believe the Seahawks will make another big change when it comes to their signal caller.
Rather than sticking with Smith for another year, the Sporting News instead predicts Seattle will go after one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Aaron Rodgers.
“After his imminent Jets release, Rodgers replacing Geno Smith should be the most appealing situation for both player and team. Seattle has the required offensive weapons under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and a rising young defense for coach Mike Macdonald.”
Don’t mind me. Just posting Geno making plays with his elite pocket presence and management.
Showing off the arm on the run and off platform. Fitting the ball through a keyhole. No big deal. pic.twitter.com/zq1R8TPY9X
— figuring out mediocrity (@DatTimmyTim) February 26, 2025
Last year, it was tough to argue who the better quarterback was. While Smith had Rodgers beat in passing yards and passer rating and a far better completion percentage, Rodgers had more touchdowns and fewer interceptions.
According to PFSN’s QB+ metric, Rodgers finished in the bottom half of the league at No. 21, while Smith ranked No. 15 among the 39 eligible quarterbacks. To put Rodgers’ QB+ ranking in context, he finished behind Las Vegas Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell and New England Patriots QB Drake Maye among others.
PFSN Analysts Also Offer Bold Prediction
PFSN’s bold predictions for the 2025 offseason also include the Seahawks moving on from Smith.
PFSN said, “In his three years in Seattle, Smith hasn’t graded higher than a C+ in terms of QB+. Thus, he’s a slightly above-average quarterback being paid like a borderline star in 2025.
“The problem with Smith at this point is that there is no ceiling. He’s played with three good receivers for the last few years and is still only a slightly above-average QB. Plus, the Seahawks replaced their offensive coordinator, so he’ll be learning a new scheme all over again next season.
“It’s a huge risk for Seattle because finding a solid quarterback in the NFL is hard. However, the Seahawks have to aim higher than middling. They may look back and say that Russell Wilson was never “elite” when they won the Super Bowl, but the chances aren’t great…the Seahawks could win the Super Bowl with Smith, it’s just unlikely. That’s why they could choose to move on this offseason.”
We know that Seattle’s offense needs to be significantly improve. Macdonald did an incredible job with the defense, leading them to the sixth-best unit in the league, per PFSN’s Defense+ metric. This ranking is remarkable, especially considering Seattle finished 29th the year before.
However, the offense was still struggling despite the exploits of Smith from the quarterback spot. On the year, they ranked 20th in the league in PFSN’s Offense+ metric. Can new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak turn around the unit?
An offensive coordinator twice at the NFL level, he was responsible for the Minnesota Vikings in 2021, and last year’s New Orleans Saints unit that finished behind the Seahawks and the Jets on PFSN’s Offense+ metric as the 22nd-ranked offense in the NFL.
But with their starting quarterback Derek Carr playing just 10 games, there is clearly hope that Kubiak can duplicate his early-season genius, as the Saints began the year with back-to-back 40+ point explosions.
He’s already shown his capabilities for the San Francisco 49ers in recent years. As their passing game coordinator in 2023, he led Brock Purdy to the best passer rating in the league for the season, alongside some MVP buzz.
Maybe, if Seattle goes down the Rodgers path, he can catch lightning in a bottle twice.
Rodgers is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Throughout the course of his legendary career, he has thrown for 62,952 yards, 503 touchdowns, and 116 interceptions on a 65.1% completion percentage while also rushing for 3,573 yards and 35 touchdowns.
Rodgers holds the NFL record for the highest career passer rating (102.6), highest career TD-INT ratio (4.4-1), and highest single-season passer rating (122.5).
He is a four-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl MVP, four-time NFL MVP champion, five-time All-Pro, and 10-time Pro Bowler who has led the NFL in passing touchdowns twice and in passer rating four times.
However, it remains to be seen how much he has left in the tank.