Reporter shares how Seahawks could move on from Geno Smith

It's hardly been a secret since 2023 that the Seattle Seahawks could move on from the three-year contract quarterback Geno Smith signed last March as soon as this offseason. 

Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson of ESPN offered more information on the subject for a piece published Tuesday. 

According to Henderson, the Seahawks "would incur $17.4M in dead money either by cutting (Smith) before his $12.7M base salary becomes fully guaranteed on Feb. 16 or by trading him before March 17." Henderson added that former Seattle head coach Pete Carroll was perhaps Smith's "biggest supporter in the organization." 

While Smith earned Comeback Player of the Year honors after he guided the 2022 edition of the Seahawks to the playoffs, he was more of a mixed bag featuring for a 9-8 Seattle side that missed the postseason tournament this season because of a tiebreaker advantage. 

According to ESPN stats, Smith finished the regular season tied for 13th among qualified players with a 59.7 adjusted QBR, tied for 12th with an average of 7.3 yards per pass attempt and tied for 17th with 20 touchdown passes. 

In a mock draft posted on Tuesday, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. predicted that the Seahawks will use overall pick No. 16 to select Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy. 

"For Seattle, the contract Geno Smith signed last March made it clear the team could get out after one season," Kiper explained. "Smith had a decent season, but will he really be here long term? I could see the Seahawks severing ties and starting fresh for whomever the new coach ends up being." 

Seattle theoretically could spend a first-round draft pick to acquire McCarthy and then stash the rookie beneath Smith on the depth chart for a season or two similar to how 2019 second-round choice Drew Lock sat behind Smith across the past two campaigns. 

Such a plan also wouldn't prevent a new coach from having Smith, 33, compete with a rookie such as McCarthy later this summer.