One thing has become abundantly clear over the years: Seahawks general manager John Schneider definitely has a type at the quarterback position. While Russell Wilson, Geno Smith, Drew Lock and Sam Howell all have their own unique styles, pros and cons, one thing they all have in common is that their aggressiveness slider is pumped all the way to the top.
Geno Smith might take the title as the most aggressive in the group. Over the last two seasons he has led the league in big time throw rate. This past season he just barely beat out Matt Stafford by one tenth of a percentage point. Smith also did a superb job of avoiding sacks and throwing the ball well while under pressure.
Geno Smith led the league in Big Time Throw % on deep passes for the second straight year in 2023.
He also had the 4th best pressure to sack ratio while having the 5th highest percentage of dropbacks under pressure pic.twitter.com/CVzxbOf13R
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) June 14, 2024
Smith may be getting a bit old (33) to consider him the team’s long-term starter. However, in recent years Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Stafford have all proven that some QBs can play at an elite level well into their late 30s, and even beyond in some cases. Smith also has an advantage in that his body hasn’t taken nearly as much punishment as those GOATs did, having mostly stood on the sidelines from 2015-2021.
The Seahawks might really be in love with Sam Howell, and the way Smith’s contract is structured there is a strong incentive to cut him next year and save $25 million in cap room. However, it’s going to be damn-difficult to find another quarterback who can perform at the same level Geno has these last couple of years at this price. As long as Smith continues to perform like this, it might be best to let him keep on going rather than starting over with a younger QB. This bridge quarterback situation might end up being the longest bridge in league history.
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