Seahawks' Mike Macdonald Discusses Geno Smith, QB Situation: 'We're Always Looking'

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald declined to label Geno Smith as the team's starting quarterback in 2024.

Per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic, Macdonald kept his options open when asked about his vision regarding the starter under center during his upcoming first season with the team.

"The first thing that I want you to know, and everybody to know, is that as an organization we're always looking, we're always trying to figure out what's best for the team all the time," Macdonald said. "We're always going to try to make the best decisions for the team."

Smith's NFL career initially appeared to be winding down, as he suited up for four separate organizations from 2016 through 2020. However, his breakout campaign in 2022 earned him Comeback Player of the Year honors. He completed 69.8 percent of his passes for 4,282 yards, tossing 30 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions while leading the Seahawks to the playoffs.

He was rewarded the following offseason with a three-year deal worth $105 million, although his 2023 production didn't match his stellar 2022 season. Smith threw for 3,624 yards in 15 starts, recording just 20 touchdowns while he was picked off nine times. Seattle narrowly missed the playoffs.

With Macdonald and general manager John Schneider replacing former head coach Pete Carroll on the sidelines as well as in the front office, the new regime may want to move forward with their own quarterback. The Seahawks created $4.8 million in cap space by restructuring Smith's deal on Feb. 22, via ESPN's Field Yates.

While this doesn't necessarily mean that the 33-year-old should be expecting a change of scenery during the offseason, he may have some fierce competition in training camp. It appears that the ability to adapt to the playbook from Ryan Grubb, who was hired as Seattle's new offensive coordinator on Feb. 13, will factor into the team's decision.

Per Dugar, Macdonald said that he's excited for Smith to get in the building and "start to build this team the way we envision it." Suffice to say, Seattle's offense may look different in both scheme and personnel during the 2024 season.