Friday is an important — and lucrative — day for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. The 34-year-old’s 2024 $12.7 million base salary will convert from injury-guaranteed to fully guaranteed. ESPN reported that Smith will remain on Seattle’s roster, allowing him to collect that total next season.
Will Smith remain with the Seahawks? Or could he be traded elsewhere this offseason?
Geno Smith’s Contract Details
Smith now knows he’ll earn his $12.7 million base salary during the upcoming season, but there’s another critical date on the veteran QB’s calendar. His $9.6 million roster bonus will vest on March 17, the fifth day of the 2024 NFL league year.
If Smith is still on Seattle’s roster by that date, he will almost assuredly be a Seahawk in 2024. However, Seattle could still consider trading Geno until his roster bonus becomes guaranteed.
Why could the Seahawks think about moving Smith? Seattle has a new, young head coach in Mike Macdonald, while general manager John Schneider has fully taken over personnel for the first time in his career. If Seattle wants to start fresh under center and receives a worthwhile offer, it might make sense to move on from Smith.
However, the Seahawks are poised to compete in 2024. With intriguing talents on both sides of the ball, there’s no reason Seattle can’t get back to the playoffs next season.
Plus, the Seahawks don’t have an obvious path to another quarterback. They won’t move on from Smith just to sign another aging QB like Kirk Cousins. Seattle holds the 16th overall pick in the upcoming draft, which probably won’t allow the club to land a surefire starting QB.
Still, teams will be interested in Smith if the Seahawks decide to move on this offseason. Let’s run through five possible destinations.
Smith’s Potential Landing Spots
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are trying to start over on offense after firing play-caller Matt Canada during the season before hiring former Atlanta Falcons HC Arthur Smith as their new OC last month. Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, and Pat Freiermuth give Pittsburgh an intriguing foundation, but the club’s quarterback depth chart is problematic.
Former first-round Kenny Pickett struggled, got injured, and was subsequently benched for Mason Rudolph, a pending free agent. While head coach Mike Tomlin indicated Pickett would enter the offseason as the Steelers’ QB1, he also suggested the team would bring in competition.
Pittsburgh is over the cap, but it could restructure several contracts to fit Smith’s salary. The Steelers somehow made the playoffs while rolling with Pickett, Rudolph, and the since-released Mitchell Trubisky under center — imagine what they could do with Smith in control.
Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta’s array of offensive weaponry is even more impressive than Pittsburgh’s, and the NFC South is an eminently more winnable division than the AFC North. Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke couldn’t get the ball to Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts regularly, but Smith would represent a clear upgrade.
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New Falcons head coach Raheem Morris (formerly the Los Angeles Rams’ DC) coached against Smith over the past several seasons, so he knows what the veteran QB is capable of. While Atlanta might set its sights higher and attempt to sign Cousins or trade for Justin Fields, Geno would offer marked improvement.
Las Vegas Raiders
Whether the Raiders will seriously pursue Smith will come down to how new GM Tom Telesco and head coach Antonio Pierce view Las Vegas’ roster.
Former Vegas decision-makers Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels regularly threw caution to the wind, trading for WR Davante Adams in 2022 before signing QB Jimmy Garoppolo in 2023. Adding veterans instead of revamping a beleaguered roster proved the wrong course of action.
The Raiders went 8-9 last season but will be hard-pressed to compete for the playoffs with 2023 fourth-rounder Aidan O’Connell as their starting QB. Still, going after an aging signal-caller like Smith probably isn’t the correct answer. Hoping O’Connell can develop while taking another chance on a quarterback in the 2024 draft might be more prudent.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings will only become an option for Smith if Cousins signs elsewhere next month. Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has consistently discussed the idea of a “competitive rebuild” in which the Vikings stick in the playoff conversation while constantly overhauling their roster.
They’ve managed that effort well through two seasons, but it’s hard to imagine the Vikings competing with Jaren Hall as their QB in 2024. Minnesota might have to consider other options if Cousins walks, and Smith could be on the table.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers are in a similar position as the Vikings. Most expect Baker Mayfield to re-sign with Tampa Bay after posting career highs across the board, but there’s always a chance he could end up with another club this offseason.
In that case, Smith might intrigue the Buccaneers, who aim to compete again in 2024 after winning the NFC South and upsetting the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round.
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Geno throws one of the most beautiful deep balls in the NFL, making him a potentially ideal fit with Bucs WR Mike Evans.
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