When the Seattle Seahawks moved on from Russell Wilson, they reportedly prioritized getting quarterback Drew Lock in return. This was in spite of Geno Smith already serving as Wilson’s backup and being in prime position to take over the starting role.
Lock did arrive in Seattle, and he stayed with the Seahawks for two seasons, but Smith’s starting status was never questioned. Since then, Smith has become a two-time Pro Bowl QB, helping lead the Seahawks to first place in the NFC West. But he’s also 34 years old, so is it time for Seattle to reconsider their future at QB?
Related: 2025 NFL Mock Draft: Who should the Seahawks draft?
Seattle Seahawks could seek long-term replacement for Geno Smith
Geno Smith’s contract expires after the 2025 season, so he’ll be heading into a contract year. Yet, the Seattle Seahawks don’t have any guaranteed money left on his deal, so if they really wanted to, the team could move on from their franchise QB with zero strings attached.
While there’s been no indication that moving on from Geno Smith is in their plans, Seattle may want to be better prepared for the future in case reaching a long-term extension gets too spendy for their liking.
“Teams further down the board to keep an eye on include the Rams and Seahawks. They each have a veteran QB who no longer has guaranteed money on his contract, but both teams are far from guaranteed to be drafting a quarterback early.”
ESPN’s Field Yates on Seattle Seahawks
For now, Smith is under contract with a $38.5M cap hit in 2025. But he only has a base salary of $14.8M, plus a $10M roster bonus that becomes guaranteed on March 16th. If the Seahawks did have any plans of parting ways with their starting QB, the March 16th date is the one to watch.
Should Seattle move on from Smith, the chances that they’d draft his replacement would skyrocket unless they prefer another free agent quarterback like Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, or Justin Fields.