The Seattle Seahawks have sparked multiple quarterback controversies this offseason, both for their own team and for the New York Giants. However, following weeks of speculation, head coach Mike Macdonald has named his starting quarterback for 2024.
Macdonald, a first-year head coach, raised eyebrows early in his tenure when he wouldn’t fully commit to Geno Smith as the starting quarterback for the upcoming season. Meeting with reports on March 8, Seattle’s coach said that he was trying to “figure out what’s best for the team” and a conversation would be had with quarterbacks coach Charles London and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb about the starting quarterback.
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Speculation ramped up even further days later when Seattle swung a trade with the Washington Commanders to acquire quarterback Sam Howell. Considering the Seahawks moved down from No. 78 overall to the 102nd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft order to acquire Howell, he might challenge Smith for the starting job in training camp. Now, there is clarity on the situation.
- Geno Smith stats 2023: 92.1 QB rating, 64.7% completion rate, 20-9 TD-INT, 7.3 yards per attempt, 47.2% Success rate, 5.8% Sack rate, 75.5% Success rate
Addressing reporters on March 23, Macdonald said he doesn’t expect there to be a quarterback competition this summer and in conversations with Smith and Howell it’s been made clear who will be the Seahawks starting quarterback in 2024.
“l don’t. I’ve talked to Geno about it. Very confident in Geno. Geno’s going to be our starter. Sam (Howell) 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.”
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald on if there will be a quarterback competition
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It’s not a surprising decision by Seattle. While both Smith and Howell will be new to Grubb’s offensive scheme heading into training camp, the veteran quarterback has established chemistry with the Seahawks’ skill players and offensive line. He also outperformed Howell last season.
Howell got off to a strong start in 2023 with a 91.5 QB rating, a 17-9 TD-INT ratio and a 66.5 percent completion rate across his first 10 games. However, he then followed it up with a 55.6 QB rating with a 4-12 TD-INT line and a 57.7 percent completion rate before being benched. He will spend the 2024 season backing p Smith, with an opportunity to emerge as the starter in 2025.
