Per Field Yates, the Seahawks have restructured the contract of Geno Smith — converting his $9.6M roster bonus into a signing bonus and creating $4.8M in 2024 cap space.
I reached out to Curtis Allen so he could explain what this means (he’s also produced this great Twitter thread). According to Curtis, Smith’s new cap hit is $26.4m (down from $31.2m). If the Seahawks were to trade Smith now, they would eat a $27m dead cap hit (up from $17.4m before the restructure).
There are two ways of looking at this. On the one hand, the Seahawks just made it financially more terrifying to trade Geno Smith this year. They ate $26m in dead money to deal Russell Wilson but they got an epic haul via trade. That wouldn’t be the case here. Everything points, in that respect, to Geno being on the roster in 2024 and continuing as the unchallenged starter.
That wouldn’t be a surprising move but it does create some curiosity as to why Adam Schefter put the tweet out last week about trade value, why they’ve been fairly non-committal about Smith during interviews and why they keep talking about Drew Lock.
Have they scoured the trade market, found it isn’t attractive and opted simply to proceed? Maybe. I do think if the plan all along was to position Smith to be the unchallenged starter, the Schefter tweet wouldn’t happen and the GM and Head Coach would’ve spoken differently.
The other option is they just made it eminently more attractive for another team to trade for Smith with the downside being they just hammered their own cap situation to facilitate such a move. My initial read is that this is unlikely but here are the numbers, per Curtis, anyway. An acquiring team would only be on the hook for $12.7m in 2024. None of Smith’s 2025 salary would be guaranteed, offering an easy out. A buyer could also convert his salary to a bonus and pay Geno $7.7m in 2024 and be on the hook for $5m dead in 2025.
That would be extremely attractive for a cap-strapped team such as Pittsburgh. The Seahawks could also realistically expect to get better compensation out of a move like this, as the Giants did for eating a lot of Leonard Williams’ salary.
However, you typically hear about restructured deals at the point of the trade, not in advance. There seems little reason to announce this move as some kind of carrot being dangled. The Schefter tweet was almost certainly a carrot but he isn’t the person breaking the news about the contract, it’s Field Yates.
I’m also not convinced the Seahawks would take on a $27m dead cap hit now. The Giants eating Williams’ salary made sense given their season had collapsed and at that point, they were getting a nice haul for an out of contract player. They could afford to ‘buy a better pick’. The Seahawks eating $27m this year would make life very difficult to operate through the off-season, even with the potential cuts of Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs and others.
They would still save $33.7m on the 2025 cap by dealing him now — and I guess they could maybe re-work some deals to lend from that. It feels a bit convoluted though unless they were able to get a fantastic pick in a deal — such as a second rounder. That doesn’t feel very likely for a player who turns 34 later this year.
Therefore, while a trade was very possible and almost felt likely before today, I’d say things have most definitely changed now. It feels extremely likely Smith will be with the Seahawks in 2024. That’s not any kind of shocking outcome but again, it does make you think, if this was always the intention — why didn’t they just say so? Why keep bringing Drew Lock’s name up spontaneously, when asked about Geno? What was the Schefter tweet all about?
And what exactly is the plan at quarterback? I appreciate that some Seahawks fans think the team has their ‘franchise QB’ but personally, I don’t agree with that. I think Smith is fine. He’s done a very decent job for two years as the team transitioned away from Russell Wilson. He is not a bad quarterback at all, he wasn’t a big problem last season. I simply believe that in order to become a great team in the future, they’ll need better.
I appreciate you can’t magic a great, young quarterback into existence. I’m also sure that you can’t just drift along. It’s very easy to settle into a position in the NFL where you’re not good enough to be a legit contender but not bad enough to get a top young QB. You just stay average. Eventually they’re going to either need to find an excellent quarterback or they’re going to need to go on a brilliant drafting run where they add blue-chip, not merely ‘good’ players.
If it’s a case of ‘wait another year’ I like two quarterbacks for 2025 — Shedeur Sanders and Quinn Ewers. In particular, I think John Schneider will really like Ewers. But if they end up being the top-two in a thin class, what chance have the Seahawks got of actually drafting either of them?
It’s also possible they’ve looked at this quarterback class and just thought ‘nah’. That’d be a little bit surprising though, given the quarterback who helped elevate Ryan Grubb’s offense to national prominence is part of the draft.
As community member Alex commented today, Schneider was the GM who signed Matt Flynn to a big contract while planning all along to draft Russell Wilson. Trading Smith at this juncture and only re-signing Lock and another cheap veteran would’ve been a huge tell to the rest of the league that the Seahawks intend to draft a QB. This would be especially fraught with danger if they wanted to target Michael Penix Jr, for example. In that instance appointing Ryan Grubb was akin to holding your cards the wrong way round at the Poker table. Now, at least, teams might suspect they’ll just pass on the class.
They might believe giving Smith the 16th biggest cap hit among quarterbacks this year is well worth the money to produce some misdirection for the draft, while covering against missing out if certain players aren’t available.
I’d love to know what they really think about Smith, this draft class and the future at quarterback. I sense we’ll not get clarity for some time.
In the meantime, I’ve just finished an interview with Wake Forest’s brilliant safety Malik Mustapha. It’ll go live tomorrow.
Maybe Schefter could be working for Geno’s agent, not the team, in saying that he was very tradeable.
Did you change your mind on the “Alex Smith plan” for Geno? You seem more and more eager to see the team draft a guy that would start in 2024. What changed?
Nothing has changed, I was never ‘eager’ for Smith to start in 2024 and have a young player back him up. That’s not a hope I ever raised
Color me surprised and confused
I agree. All I can think of is they were steering towards a trade (and by steering, turning the car HARD), and then nothing came through or they are preparing in case nothing comes through.
But damn…the victory laps that people are taking with Geno….
The same people who claimed they’d never take on Russ’s dead cap.
So definitive, yet never remorseful.
To be fair, they sort of are right. As much as we all here disagreed and knew better. It’s not our fault this team proved them right, against better judgment.
Think of how you would feel if Pete was still the head coach. Maybe you wouldn’t be surprised if they did nothing except restructure. If the same thing happens without Pete here, then maybe the questionable decisions were not all his doing.
well, now we can focus on the trenches… and mustapha!
This makes me sad. I was excited for a fresh coaching staff and fresh faces at places we’ve expected middle of the road. Or worse.
Me too. It seems like such a Carroll/Schneider “all chips in now at the expense of the future” kind of move. Disappointing. Maybe Carroll wasn’t the entire problem.
Or it’s super aggressive, with the intention of getting a higher draft pick at the expense of this year’s cap hit — in which case I say: Bravo, John Schneider.
So I guess we’ll see which narrative emerges. The bold, brash, fearless Schneider who’s in serious rebuild mode with his fresh young coaches or the master of mediocrity John Schneider who flails helplessly, afraid of the possibility of a poor win-loss record in 2024.
I would like to see Smith traded and Seattle embark on their quest for a new QB. So that’s what I want to see in this news.
Before this I would’ve been okay with a late Day 3. But now I think they have to get at least a R3 because the acquiring team will have him for one year with virtually zero financial commitment.
I suspect, if they were looking for a trade as the Schefter tweet hinted, there’s nothing out there and they’ve just decided to kick the can down the road
Which probably means another season of what John Schneider reviewed in his own words — some good, some bad
This is why I was hoping they would cut Geno before the 2024 contract kicked in. Was skeptical anyone would trade for a mediocre quarterback on an almost $30M contract. The problem with Carroll was that he was too-often high on his own supply. Maybe part of the problem was Schneider.
If we had cut Geno, we’d be free of him. And if we didn’t want to be free of him, we probably could have signed him for a lot less. Schneider ran a great coaching search but, unless this is a move to maximize draft capital on a Geno trade, which is seeming unlikely, it looks like the Hawks once again stepped on their own dick.
I agree for the most part, but Geno’s not mediocre. He’s average, maybe even slightly above. And as a trade asset he’s pretty tempting right now for under $20 a year to a contending team.
It’s probably wishful thinking, but still hoping for a trade.
There just arent many “contending” teams with no quarterback.
I agree that this is underwhelming news.
*If* JS pulls a rabbit out of the hat and somehow gets a 2nd rounder for Geno in a trade, I think the money will be worth it.
That just seems pretty unlikely, at this point.
I think there’s almost no chance they get a R2
My wild guess is that they are following the Green Bay approach where they draft a young quarterback as a heir apparent to an established QB, develop him over a period of time meanwhile assessing his development to see if he is really the guy of the future. If not, draft another young QB next year and beyond until they find their guy. Use Geno as a bridge (expensive as it may be) as you install a new offense and system for the future. I’d say trade down for more picks and if Penix or Rattler or some other QB they like is available in the range they feel is good value then grab him. If not, wait and use a low pick on a lottery ticket (like Purdy). As for Lock, use him as insurance in case they don’t get the QB they want int he draft. No reason to jettison Lock in this scenario until the plan pans out. The other thing that I’ve heard is that with so many players opting to stay in school, next year’s draft will be stronger and so there may be incentive to get more 2025 picks. So trade down this year for value and more picks next year. Just a guess. Fun to see how it plays out for real.
I’ve not studied next year’s prospects in detail aside from those who were eligible this year — I’d simply say the players who returned to school will fill the void of those who do the same thing and stay next year. It’s not setting up to be a particularly exciting class in 2025 on initial viewing
Having a bridge QB is definitely a plausible plan. They need to start drafting QB’s though. And I long for them actually benefitting from a rookie QB contract rather than squatting on a player then not really knowing enough about them when you have to pay them big money
This is the most logical reasoning I can come up with as well. The GB plan in Seattle
Remind me again how many Super Bowls the “Green Bay Plan” won them, while stumbling into one of the best quarterbacks in the game.
First, the story isn’t over in GB. Jordan Love could very well win a Super Bowl at some point. GB’s problems are not with the QB.
Second, the Chiefs used this very same approach with Mahomes. He was the backup to Alex Smith who won 10 games for them in 2017 before passing the reigns in 2018.
In my opinion, Penix is now 100% off the table for Seattle. If he sits for a year or 2 behind Geno, he will be nearly 30 by the time he ever plays. And you will have wasted entirely his cheap team friendly years. That goes entirely against why you want a good young qb. Penix being so old makes him as a stash candidate entirely unrealistic IMO.
Hes 23?
He will be 24 his rookie season. And 26 by the time he gets to start after we are finally rid of Geno. We will have wasted most of his valuable cheap years. Like Rob says, we will be having to pay him without knowing if he’s worth it. It’s just a poor use of draft capital when you already have very little in the good rounds of this super top heavy draft.
So dramatic. Penix is 23 years old, the same age blog favorite Will Levis was this time last year. Sitting two years would have him starting at 25 years old.
Facts are an important part of every conversation.
*Golf clap*
This is absolutely gutting!!! All my positive vibes about the up to this point, ace off-season, have crashed and burned entirely. This team will never draft a QBOTF!!! We are stuck with an over the hill, average on his best day, Geno bleeping Smith for bloody eternity! How do you not capitalize on the moment and fresh start for the franchise and not choose to go for one of these super stud qbs in this draft??? And instead just roll with an aging and depreciating asset like Smith?? Next year’s qb class is awful, so you’re likely punting finding your QBOTF for 2 more seasons. I was hopeful that Mike “Big Mac” MacDonald was going to change our philosophy at qb, and that philosophy was all Pete’s doing. But clearly it wasn’t. Our GM is continuing our ways on his own. I was so convinced by Rob that Geno was gone from all of the expert analysis of the team talking about Lock all the time. This is the worst news of the off-season in my opinion. And by a long, long margin. If Geno stays, you simply are not drafting a qb. If you continue to invest as much as you are into Geno, you can not in good conscience use any of your already limited high round draft capital on a quarterback. And any quarterback left after the first couple rounds in this horrifically shallow draft will not be worth rostering. I had been so keen on this off-season til today. What a kick in the gut! We might have kept Pete if everything else was going to be status quo!! Keep up the ace work, Rob! Thank you for talking us through this misery.
They should’ve cleaned house of Schneider as well. This team is still married to the infinite slog of mediocrity approach to team building. Still can’t figure out how the guy behind the Graham, Harvin, Williams, Richardson, and Adam’s trades still has his job. It must be because of his fantastic cap management strategies ….
I agree. “Johnny,” being always subordinate to Pete, has proven virtually NOTHING in his time at Seattle. He may prove to be a great GM, but there are plenty of reasons to be pessimistic, given the many WTF personnel decisions over many seasons, beginning with the trade of Max Unger. Was Pete solely to blame for everything? Let’s hope so.
I’ve seen some overreactions here, but this one is top 10.
All they did was an accounting move. If they plan to trade him, he’s more valuable now. If they plan to keep him, he’s less expensive now (for this year).
This reaction makes it seem like they just signed him to a 5 year extension. They split up $10M into $5M cap hit for this year and $5M cap hit for next year. That’s it.
Maybe this means we won’t cut him, but that was never option 1 or 2 anyway.
Rob himself says this move makes it mostly certain he isn’t going anywhere. Prior to this move, there was a chance. So the reaction to the incoming clown show is well warranted.
I just don’t see it the same I suppose.
I guess if we would have cut him, we would have saved some money, but that wasn’t ever really an option. We may be underwhelmed by the prospect of Geno at the helm next year, but you don’t cut a ‘pro-bowl’ QB with no heir apparent, just so you can eat dead money and telegraph to the league that you’re taking a QB in the draft. There has to be a plan and the drop dead date for cutting Geno was over a month before the draft.
I just think a lot of the commenters on the board are misreading this a bit.
If you can see that cutting Geno wasn’t plan A or B, then you’re left with trading him (just gained leverage via his reduced cap to acquiring team) or rolling with him (reduced cap hit this year via this restructure).
My man, too much bourbon. I feel ya, but this take is waaaay too hot. Geno is neither the savior nor the redeemer of this squad. Let’s embrace the idea that he’s a more than adequate but less than elite QB and that McD and JS are going to build a juggernaut around him until the right QBOTF presents themselves at the right price. At least, that’s what I am doing.
Geno’s not top 5 but he’s better than average and maybe with the right talent around him he can push us across the ultimate goal line. Am I betting on it? No. But I am not betting against it either. It’s been stated here many times: he’s not the answer, but he not the problem either. Build from the trenches out, let Geno run a servicable offense while we rebuild our bullying identity and start grooming our QB of future and all will be well. Don’t slit your wrists yet, brother.
Granted, I am a graybeard who lived throught the QB hell of the 90’s so take that for what it’s worth.
Come on man it’s not misery.
Misery was the last two or three years under PC.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and that’s great and all but I don’t think it’s as bad a picture as you are painting by a long shot.
Yes sir I agree I predict we will wish whole heartedly that we would of kept Pete in the first place time will tell, if he goes to another team to coach watch out Seahawks this man Pete is full of tricks
It was time to move on from Pete Carroll
In fact the time to move on was a few years ago
Agreed. Roster construction wasn’t the only problem. The team was out-schemed on a weekly basis and players were not playing up to their talent level.
I stand by my previous statements that they should have cut him before Feb 16th. If they manage to trade him for a decent draft pick, cool, if not JS totally miscalculated the market on Geno.
Positive vibes….
But this would not be near the top times John has miscalculated a market.
I just think if us as fans can figure out there isnt much of a market for Geno, why cant GMs who get paid millions of dollars figure that out? I was saying well before this move that the Seahawks value Geno far more than the rest of the league does. Again, would love to be proven wrong, but I doubt I will be.
Well if you cut Geno last week, we have zero QB on the roster.
That leads to:
– chance of trading Geno goes to zero
– odds of Lock signing cheap go in the toilet
– odds that the entire league know you’re targeting a QB go to 100%
– odds that the 90% of non-SDB fan-base grabs their pitchforks goes to 90%
Honestly, cutting him never made a ton of sense IMO. Trading or keeping him aren’t really impacted by this move. If anything they make both more feasible.
💯
Is this some league year cap gymnastics?
I do wonder if this signifies that John doesn’t like any of the guys he thinks will drop to him after a trade down to get a 2nd and will instead take a later round flier this draft.
There aren’t any late round fliers
I was more thinking like Rattler or Pratt in maybe the 3rd ir 4th
I’ve been ruminating on this for a while now so this feels less a shock to me right now.
1. Penix. The team would indeed have all the Intel they need.
2. Listened to Grubb with softy and Millen and him talking about the title game about Penix. Was very nice but not glowing.
3. I have never thought it was a given that we would draft a qb high. A hope, sure.
If Geno is the starter for next year that would be a hugely disappointing outcome for this offseason. John did so well with the moves after Pete but if the results are going to be Geno gonna be a lock to be the starter again just ugh. Well I hope I’m wrong about it with also thinking that he was going to hire DQ but then got McDonald maybe he does trade Geno I can only hope now.
I take this as being that they weighed the trade market and decided that the offers weren’t worth the move.
I don’t think this makes a QB less likely, but is more of a reflection that they won’t go over slot for a QB.
I’ve been thinking that this QB class reminds me of 2018 in many ways. And that tells me that a QB they like could drop, but there could also be a big run.
Relying on Geno to me has always been, in part, an admission by the team that the cupboard is bare at many positions and that it will take another cycle to rid themselves of bad contracts and infuse more talent.
I can’t say I’m excited for another season of Geno, but I’m not dreading it either. Like eating some oatmeal without any fixing. I am dreading the discourse though…don’t think I can handle much more of the Geno-Crusade going to stamp out the infidels who would question his supremacy.
I did a mock recently that I now wish I had saved, I chuckled to myself afterwards and snag “so you want to fix a defense” to the tune of “do you want to build a snowman” (landed Sweat, Wilson, Trotter, Mustafa and Brownlee…can’t recall the other pick) round appropriate, trade appropriate. Geno being back makes something like that much more likely to me…
Also think it means Lockett stays, offensive continuity prioritized with an eye to 2025.
Hasselbeck. Tavaris Jackson. Geno smith. Took John three years last time to get a qb. Do I love it taking maybe four this time? Of course not. But I’m not in love with Nix, Penix, Mccarthy, and Rattler.
Lockett: not sure. They are definitely going to need money still.
At a certain point after this long, maybe Russell Wilson was a random outlier, and not indicative of John Schneider’s GM smarts. Maybe Matt Flynn, Charles Whitehurst, Tavaris Jackson, Alex McGough, and Geno Smith might all be much more indicative of how smart John Schneider is as a GM. Just a crazy thought.
Grouping Geno in with those others is disingenuous.
Getting a not elite but borderline Pro Bowl calibre starting QB for the $ they’ve spent on him without having to trade anything to acquire him has been an objectively good move.
A scary thought.
I am okay with Geno staying, but they need to draft a QB and stop kicking the can down the road.
Also, the people that cherry pick stats to make Geno look better than he actually is drive me nuts. If you like Geno and think he is good enough to get to the Superbowl I can accept that, but don’t try to make your argument look better by only highlighting the good.
Ot going to cry if it’s Geno for another year. Build the rest of the team.
This favors folks that want to take about game winning drives, lack of possessions, etc. And how he needs a better team around him. Not untrue the team does in fact need to get better.
Then go into 2025 and go big.
Who for though?
Not sure. But I already know as many names next year as I do this year and more than the year prior.
To go big for?
Ewers. Good sir. I’ve watched as much as i needed now with watching full games of Penix and then again for sweat/Murphy.
Plus John’s comments last year. Feels inevitable, nearly.
And what if he’s the #1 or #2 pick?
This is what I mean. You can’t get Caleb or Jayden this year because the two teams will stick and pick short of a record breaking trade offer
Sure but we’ve cut it up forever that there’s a tiny chance John might be far too picky to the point if paralysis by analysis.
Why not Levis last year for the cost of Hall and Young. Why not trade to Chicago when you get a free #5 and extra 2nd? Why not lamar Jackson when you can’t get Allen?
Totally agree that the team needs to be better around him but when someone posts on Twitter about extrapolating stats from the games in the 2nd half of 2023 into a full season, that is not seeing the full picture.
Geno is a very streaky QB who runs hot and cold and in the end you get an average-slightly above average QB imo.
You don’t need tell me😀 those people are ridiculous. You either have a good qb on their own total season or you don’t. And we dont.
Completely agree, I am sick to death of this franchise just continuously kicking the can down the road on the most important position on the field. Here we are 2 years removed from trading away a franchise QB and we still dont have a long term answer at the position. I hope that changes with this coming draft, but this restructure move makes me nervous.
All the chatter about Drew Locke could have created leverage in negotiations. They may have even been sincere about their interest. Both things can be true.
And they still could have an interest in trading Geno. Our cap/free agency situation is less bad than New Orleans. They just restructured Eric McCoy today and Carr is in the works.
This seems like a good move.
Not surprised and the right move. This gives the team a year to see Geno in Grubb’s offense, something a rookie could hurt, and allows them to walk away in 2025. I still feel the plan is to draft a QB in the 2nd Rd (after trading back in the 1st) and let him red shirt behind Geno.
Geno played behind a shitty line last year and both, took care of the ball, and didn’t take drive killing sacks. All this with a horrible running game to boot. Over the last 2 seasons he has preformed at a top 10 level and at his price tag it would be foolish for Seattle to walk away this year. His age isn’t an issue at this point for his position, only his contract might’ve been and now that’s been reworked.
I look for Lockett and a few others get this treatment as Seattle tries to retain Williams, Lewis and Brooks.
It is worth noting that he did still have 21 turnover worthy plays last year, one fewer than Bryce Young despite playing 15 games compared to Young’s 16. If he’d thrown just two more TWP’s in the two games he’d missed, he would’ve ranked top-five for turnover worthy plays a year after ranking #2 for this statistic.
I’d also argue he was the 14th ranked QB per PFF, with a badly injured/not playing Joe Burrow behind him on the list after a rough year. So people keep saying ‘top-10 level’ — I’d suggest he’s more middle of the pack
Here are some 2023 Geno stats from Softy the other day:
1. Touchdowns – 17th
2. QBR – 12th
3. Ratings – 17th
4. Yards Passing – 16th
5. Touchdown Percentage – 21st
6. Completion Percentage – 19th
7. Yards per Attempt – 13th
8. 3rd Down Conversions – 27th
Looks decidedly mediocre for the NFL. Perhaps a bit worse than average.
Not sure how a rookie qb would hurt grubbs offense. If that’s true they’ve made a horrible hiring in grubb.
I think it’s all about leverage. Yes it’s $10m more dead if they trade, but it’s still cap room.
That $10m is a price to pay to increase trade value. Maybe nobody was paying more than a 6th for him.
Now he could command a 3rd easily IMO. If done during draft options as follows:
*it allows flexibility at 16 pick to trade down, get a 2nd and hope Penix is there at 25.
* Or if he’s gone by 25, draft whoever at 25 and keep Geno (and have a 1st and 2nd to strengthen roster)
* Or if no one wants to trade up for 16, then take Penix at 16 and trade Geno for a 3rd. With 3 3rd they can still go up into the 2nd and have 2 3rds.
That $10m dead money has paid for a ton of draft flexibility that wasn’t previously available.
What if they traded Geno in March because of deadline? Go into draft with no QB? And if you don’t get one? You have no decent QB on the roster.
OR you don’t trade Geno by deadline, and then if you draft a QB you’re stuck with Geno which means you’re down a potential 3rd that could have been useful.
All that is worth the extra $10m dead.
If
I don’t think they were ever getting a R3
I think, the more I consider this, there simply wasn’t a trade market — just as there wasn’t much of a free agent market a year ago. And they’ve acted accordingly knowing he’s going to be here
Rob, I think you’re right that there wasn’t the trade market for Geno that they had hoped.
But I do think that Joey could be correct that they did buy themselves some flexibility and options.
Is a trade less likely than before (all things considered)? Absolutely. But is there still a 25% to 50% chance of a trade? I think there still is.
I agree with you both save for this… I think a trade is more likely than before.
I think he’s become the most desirable veteran out there with this.
This morning, you could go with:
– Fields: cost you a ton in draft picks, is a TO machine and is going to be wanting a new deal
– Cousins: 35 and going to demand $35M+ on a multi-year deal
– Russ: 35 and just got benched and you have to deal with Mark Rogers
Now you also have:
– Geno: 33, dirt cheap and under contract for 2025 (or easily cuttable) for a day 2 pick
I agree with Brodie.
I think you actually get 2nd for Geno for eating more cap space and giving a team a 12mil dollar starter.
I believe Geno is a top 15 QB in the league. I think it this is how we are getting back into the 2nd round. Still trading with GB getting a late 1st and two 2nds’s. Maybe even dropping down farther in the second for another 3.
12 Million and a 2nd for a top 15 QB. Thats right in line with the stupid overvaluation of what QB’s make.
This is of course what I would like to think as well. Let’s hope against all hope that you are right.
I agree with this – I think it sets them up nicely for the draft without showing their hand. It does make him more desirable, 7.7m ->5m for a somewhat proven starting QB is a good deal. Hawks can deal him for a pick if something lines-up for them in the draft, or they can keep him on the roster and draft a later QB and even deal him mid-season if the young buck shows promise.
Trading him with serious dead-money also sets up the Hawks for an actual re-build if the season starts to go in that direction. Coaches always want to come in and do well initially, but if the season starts to go sour, they can deal him to a team with a QB injury, and start to look to next season.
Bummer, but I just don’t believe there’s a market for Geno. It was going to be quite limited, anyway, but there must have been none. How could a GM, with a straight face, present 34 year-old Geno as the answer to their team’s ongoing QB issues? Granted, Geno is better than some other guys, but, at best, he’s a stopgap bridge for any team – someone until someone better comes along.
Given this result, though, I would’ve preferred they pass on picking up his option last week.
This is the way I’m leaning
The Schefter tweet wasn’t ‘nothing’. I’m guessing there just isn’t interest and they’ve acted accordingly. And it’s not a surprise really, he was a free agent a year ago and who was actually linked with him? It was very quiet
Hopefully like jamal this is the last of Pete’s bs. There was no market so there was no need for any kind of multi year incentive contract. And now they are left trying to fit the pieces together with a little savings here and a little savings there for no reason.
Unfortunately, it’s the first financial move of the John Schneider era. Not a good sign.
And it’s likely to leave them in that 7 to 10 win range where they have very little chance at getting one of the top guys in the ’25 draft…or in ’26. I don’t get the thought process here.
That’s my worry
I don’t want the Seahawks to ‘tank’ either before anyone suggests that. I think it’s fair to acknowledge that plenty of teams get stuck in the perennially average position and it can be both frustrating and boring once you reach that place
I want the Seahawks to be great and was willing to re-set a bit this year, whatever that means, to get there
I fear now it’s going to be window-dressing changes
1000%!!!
I am having a horribly rough time right now not feeling like we are the exact same team as the past forever many years. Just with a hipper, cooler, gen z mascot.
Welp! At least we’re less likely to lose Grubb anytime soon.
Things getting curiouser and curiouser. Trade could still happen. I may be significant they did this right before the Combine; there was no rush to do so for any other reason. I doubt JS has had time to evaluate the trade market with everything going on, plus that usually happens AT the Combine. He may simply be setting the table. Also, the past two years, as well as in the early JS/PC days, it was normal for them to cover themselves position-wise so they didn[t have to reach in the draft. Maybe some of that going on, too.
long shot thought, watched Bears presser today, feels like, to me, they are keeping J.Fields. Who is his new Offensive Coord, hold onto your hats folks, Hawks move to #1 Geno part of trade, now cheap for Bears as backup & helps Fields with the offense. I always go back to why would a 1st time head coach pick a team with no long term QB answer, esp a sought after coach who could pick his destination….Maybe he was guaranteed a rookie qb to grow with, gives him more time to adjust, that’s my call & be prepaired to loose some of your favs in trade…
The Bears are going to trade Fields. He isn’t good and likely won’t get them much of a return
They are going to draft Caleb Williams and will start him right away
This is how it’s going to go down people
Fields had better #s in college, played in a more pro style offense then Williams, the Draft industrial complex has pumped his tires for 2 years now so we will see…Oh ya Kerry Joseph, new qb coach for Bears came from Seattle. I remember watching him at BC place when the Redblacks would come to play the Leos, anyhow friendly banter….Outside of the commanders I would imagine most GMs have Drake Maye #1, with basketball owners coming in they will really want there home state kid to come in for hype & ticket sales…Look forward to your interview tomorrow.
Most GM’s do not have Drake Maye as QB1
Neither did Fields play in a ‘more pro-style’ offense
Williams is really good, it’s as simple as that
Gms are not telling us what they think however a 21 yr old, 6.4 tall with a cannon for a arm and the most yrds from scrimmage of any qb in the draft over the last 2 yrs that can also run are the cream. He did more with less talent around him then any other qb in this draft. I understand you have a bit of a blind spot with this type of player, Justin Herbert. Ohio State runs a far more pro style offense then Lincoln Riley and that’s a fact.. I appreciate & respect the rebuttal & our discussion in general. Cheers
I don’t care too much either way, but I challenge you to watch Drake Maye and tell me he’s a #1 pick.
Here he is VS a 1-5 Virginia team:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD39F2h0TGQ&ab_channel=Icemandaboss1
Then watch Clemson.
Then look at his stats VS Gunnar Wilson of Troy.
I’m not saying he’s bad, but I would be happy to bet any amount you like (donate it to Rob) that Caleb goes before Maye.
Andrew, give it a rest
A blind spot with Justin Herbert. LOL
Ohio State’s offense isn’t remotely more pro style than Riley’s
You’re just wrong. You don’t have to make stuff up about my opinions or Ohio State
To who?
Texans?
Strikes me as odd that Bustin Fields has seemingly more trade value than Geno despite being objectively worse at the position.
Except he’s a lot younger and still on a rookie contract. Toward the end of the year he looked pretty good. So it makes sense that someone might think he has the potential to be something. And if not, you move on. It’s not like you’d have to trade a fortune for the guy.
More than anything this year I was hoping they might just bite the bullet and fix the cap mess
I don’t care what the record this year is, I just wanted to go into 2025 without looking at OverTheCap through my fingers, or going on Tankathon and seeing gaps in the pick board for Seattle because they were used on short-term rentals. It’s year one under a new staff and they need to build towards a 2026/27/28 crescendo, not kid themselves they can become a contender with more or less this group
Now I fear they’re going to try and plod on, not really doing much to the roster. Adams will go, maybe Diggs too. But the money will go into retaining their own and then they’ll just have a draft to fill in the gaps.
What’s really needed, IMO, is a more ruthless assessment of where this team is while acknolwedging how much they’ve been misusing their cap and putting that right
That move would be great for us out here on teams good not great let’s get it over with island.
SIGH
That was a brutally honest and at same time depressing post Rob.
And I have agreed all along that ruthless was preferable and necessary
Well, it might be good to let the new staff kick the tires on what’s left in the junkyard first.
BTW, Big Mike, did you buy Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus the booster seat? I know it was you! You did it after I sent Rob the hat, didn’t you? Go to the 3:15 mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7axwnDUg48&t=1083s
And that was a horrible thing to do after he got COVID at the Super Bowl.
Busted
😀
I want this too Rob, but it JS is truly going this path then perhaps Jodie should fire him as well?
I guess the thought process must be, see how much value you can get out of the team with a new coaching staff, then assess from there.
I don’t know if this is just another shot at staying ‘relevant’, aka-mediocre, or they want to fix in a dynamic way the defense 1st. We’ll see, but if they run Wagner, Taylor, and Brooks out again, and don’t sign Williams, I will ‘piss purple nickels’…
JS has been at this a long time and the salary cap (as much as I understand it) does seem to be the proverbial albatross around the neck of management. I agree that an in depth objective analysis of WTF is going on here is indeed necessary.
This is just John striving for mediocrity. Just rip the band aid off and move on and have a fresh start.
On this point I agree with you .
They have a new coaching staff , it was time to rip the bandage off the cap drainers. By this I mean they should have got rid of Geno Smith, Adam’s , Diggs and the other cap drainers. Don’t try to spread it he costs out by waiting till June 1st. Do it now , and pay the full cost this year. No more restructuring to 2025.
Rip the bandage off, suffer the cap consequences this year and things will be much better in 2025. But now it seems obvious they will stick with Geno unless some other team makes them a crazy high offer. And that makes the rest of their moves questionable .
Unlike some, I am willing to go into next season with the cheapest of QBs Lock, Minshew or just use a running back . I don’t give a damn as this is a rebuild. But instead they will drag out their cap problems for two more years. Yuck!
The one good thing I’ve seen is that Rob has convinced me that the Hawks can trade down and start the rebuild. But as far as cap goes they are screwing it up big time and JS is complicit in that.
100% on this with you, Rob!
Trading our 2nd round pick for Williams should’ve been a fireable offence for John Schneider, IMHO.
Just imagine how fun and exciting it would be for us Seattle fans right now if we didn’t just have a new head coach, but a new fresh exciting and innovative game changer of a GM?!?!?!
I fear this is all window dressing. Jodi Allen wanted Pete gone, but everything else to stay as similar as possible. The Queen got her wish. The exact same as the last forever many mediocre non-contending seasons. Big Mac will not be enough to right this sinking ship.
If that were true, our head coach would be Quinn. I don’t know if John’s playing some three dimension chess that’s beyond me or if he just screwed up. I fear it’s the latter. Seems none of us here are down with this move.
This was my fear that things would continue close to the same with the goal really being (just)make the playoffs. Is John under some mandate from above to keep a ‘competitive’ product on the field until a sale(even they knew Pete was well past his usefulness), or is John trying to save his job after seeing Pete get canned?, or perhaps he does’nt want to look bad now that it’s ‘his’ show? Who knows but it’s looking like the aspirations of this team via John are much like Geno – a little above average.
So minor cap machinations for near term stability/help, keeping a number of safe and known in house quantities, trading back in the draft to recoup lost draft capitol and have more ‘stock’ to plug holes with average players, picking up cheap middling free agents, — and hoping that a new coaching staff will elevate the roster to just get back to the playoffs. Ohhhh joy
I CALLED IT !!! MALIK MUSTAPHA INTERVIEW IN 7 HOURS !!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_Nwjdg3Eek
I still thi k he is a bridge but fine with him being g our QB for 2024. I still thi k they resign Lock so they do t have to for e a QB at the draft. If you do draft one then you just carry three QB’s. We had the 28th ranked run game and 30th ranked defense last year and still went 9-8. Would love to see what he could do with even middle of the pack run and D.
Schneider talked about the Smith restructure on 710 but didn’t say anything of note:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biLbhjTeoHI
Continues to be very noncommittal/silent when given the opportunity to say something, anything, about Geno and the situation. Still a curious situation and my gut tells me there is more to come.
Perhaps — it’s certainly worth noting how non-committal he is
Either that are we are coping looking for anything to give us hope.
That’s a bingo.
I think they inquired about Geno, found there was little trade market for him, decided to clear space & commit but do so in a way that allows future offers – hedging their bets in a sense
I can see why teams would be wary – Geno does only have 2 years of production and is aging, though it’s not as if teams have to trade much or even commit long term
I’m not seeing it. They could have restructured later. I don’t see any reason to do it now unless they were clearing space to resign Williams or someone else.
Dan Viens made a pretty interesting case today that the Seahawks may have a lot less competition for a quarterback in the 2025 draft, based on where every other team is currently with their QB and where they likely will be in ’24 and ’25. Obviously, a lot can happen between now and then with injuries and performance, but it was some fun food for thought.
I don’t pretend to have any clue what the Seahawks plan to do, but with the lack of draft capital, cap concerns and holes on the roster, I would not be surprised at all if they wait another year to get the QB of the future.
Saw it. He’s at his best doing pieces like that.
Watched a long draft. Maybe “that franchise guy,” and my takeaway was maybe jokes on is that not every team we think is taking a qb will because they are a bad spot for one now. Like New England. A new qb there and they will still be picking top five next year with their terrible toster.
There will always be competition for good quarterbacks though
I think it’s wishful thinking to imagine a scenario where the Seahawks find a favourable NFL environment where QB’s are not that high in demand
I’m ready to just punt on the qb’s in this class and worry about getting someone this year. Sounds like it might be a throw away year whether the team thinks that way or not. Not gutting the dead weight? Go ahead and play with two broken legs.
Guys next year intrigue me more and there is a bigger group of guys I would be happy with compared to this year. Much higher floor. Ceiling, not as much. But just more guys that I think will end up being what we need.
I’m hoping that there has to be a plan, everything else has looked that way. Hope it’s not deja vue of just thinking that our coaches can make filet mignon out of a bag of rocks….
This is what people say every year though. What are the names of the bigger group of guys that intrigue you more?
Will Howard, Riley Leonard, Brady Cook.
They all took mediocre teams and were the focal points. Willed them down the field in games. I loved watching Leonard in the pocket. Cook took it to Tennessee this last year because they ran up the score on Mizzou the year before. I’d throw TVD in there too as a mid round pick.
I think they don’t have the knocks of the guys this year: system offenses, problems with pressure, suspect pocket awareness, all-world talent around them to hide any issues. They are just good quarterbacks. I’d take any of them over anyone this year other than Rattler. Their floors are higher than the guys this year. They have the skills.
I like the offenses that they were in. And I like what transferring will do for Howard and Leonard.
And what exactly is the plan at quarterback?
my guess roster 3 QBs
Geno
Drew
Draft a QB day 2 or 3
going old school 3 QBs on the roster
Perhaps the bad contracts and cap shenanigans weren’t on Pete, after all. JS may have gotten me intrigued and excited by his new coaching staff but sitting through another season of a journeyman, pumpkin QB sucks all the air out of the room.
If you watched Hawkblogger’s latest with Jeff Simmons…turns out the bad picks might not be Pete’s as well.
I typically don’t dig on “The Geno Stan” podcast but Jeff is usually insightful when talking with Rob.
Let’s not forget, Schneider signed Matt Flynn knowing damn well he was targeting Russell Wilson in the draft. This smells of that. Make everyone think we are good with Geno and target Penix.
I always thought a pre-draft trade would put us on thin ice. You can’t get caught with your pants down at the QB position. That’s how firings occur.
Fair points
You’re giving me hope Alex….
It’s a very good point about Flynn, and the need to not show your hand before the draft ‘if’ they want to select one of these players in particular (especially if it’s one who teams will expect you to target, eg Penix)
I’ve adjusted the article slightly to credit Alex for his point
Great point Alex, really hope this isn’t just a cope and turns out to be the case (or if Geno gets traded anyway)
Well said. I think everything will still be on the table. Schneider has always been one to keep his options open – this does that. Trading Geno would’ve been like shouting “WE’RE DRAFTING A QB!!!” to the whole NFL.
Yep and if I remember correctly, Schneider told Russell Wilson at the combine something to the affect of “Love how you play, but we just signed Matt Flynn in free agency, so we won’t be able to draft you, good luck!”
The only thing I’d say to this is Flynn signed a 3 year deal worth $19 mil, with only $10 mil guaranteed. We’re paying Geno has a $32 million cap hit this season. Inflation, sure. But it’s still not the same IMHO.
It’s actually a 0% inflation my man. All they did today was guarantee $9.6M that was going to be guaranteed in a month anyway. The rest was already paid/accounted for.
It’s a great point by Alex and lines up to be the same insurance at the same cost.
I mean inflation comparing Flynn and Geno’s money amounts.
Flynn’s contract was at the lower level of starter $ though, not mid-level starter.
Not particularly excited by this…
I think Grubb sees the existing Seahawks offensive players being similar to this year’s Huskies and believes with a better line creating a running game, they can have the same explosive offense.
Color me skeptical that Geno’s the new Penix.
There has always been lots of talk that the bad contracts, trades, and signings were Pete moves. I’m Not so sure about that. I think we might be viewing JS in a different light two years from now.
I think they want to use 16 on one of the available defensive players and maybe they take someone later at QB or not at all.
I think that’s a bit too specific, given there aren’t that many defensive players worthy of #16
And I still think they’ll be desperate to trade down
John Schneider was on ESPN 710 to talk about the Geno Smith contract restructure and I didn’t hear any ringing endorsement of Geno. So…………. doesn’t sound like they’ve eliminated the trade possibility.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biLbhjTeoHI
I thought it was interesting at the end of the conversation, when he was talking about being patient with free agency & waiting for trade opportunities, that he cut himself off & circled back to an earlier topic.
To me, the Geno ‘restructure’ clearly doesn’t have any significance beyond giving the ‘hawks a bit of cap relief. They had language in the contract that allowed them to do it without negotiation, & it makes no difference to how much Geno is getting paid, so they did it.
Perhaps too much was made (by many) of the messaging from Seattle and the media types. This was the plan all along despite not speaking in glowing terms kept the intentions open and still does.
It wasn’t ‘messaging’
It was a tweet from Schefter and as Florio said on KJR, everything he does is quid pro quo
And a totally unnecessary non committal approach to answering questions if the intention was just to roll with Geno as QB1
We don’t need to pretend this isn’t a thing. It’s OK for it all to seem confusing
What if they trade a bunch of their assets, take on salary to get more draft capital in return, dont sign bug budget free agents, play the compensatory pick game, play a bunch of rookies and take their lumps in 2024, and load up for 2025?
That could explain this move, though admittedly not very likely.
Brandon Perna had a pretty good and fairly funny take on the QB class.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBXwjaUsZ1I
This may get buried before you see it. That video was very good but his stand alone. Video on rattler was great.
There’s no guarantee they leave this draft with the QB they wanted. There’s other QB needy teams too and they won too many games despite looking horrible half the season.
If nothing else, I think Geno offers some stability at the most important position for a coaching staff that is honestly very inexperienced. I’m still anxious about it all working.
Stability for inexperienced coaches is a good point.
that’s what I think too – and also a QB they might get at #16, or lower in the draft (as seems more likely) probably isn’t a guy who’s ready to start on Day 1. The Geno move only extends his stay as starter for this coming year, it’s not like we signed him to a long-term deal. I never thought they’d get much value for him in a trade, so for me, this just keeps all options open for the draft.
John Schneider has only drafted TWO bleeping quarterbacks in 15 years!!!!
It’s never safe to assume anything. I think his opinion on the position is pretty clear.
We are MUCH more likely based off history to go the Matt Flynn, Tavaris Jackson, Charles Whitehurst, Drew Lock, Geno Smith route to finding our next quarterback than the Russell Wilson route.
The fact that Wilson worked out and was the team’s qb for over a decade dilutes the true data we have to understanding John Schneider.
Apologies. I replied to the wrong post. I meant to reply to a comment saying that the Seahawks need to draft a qb in the next 2 or 3 years. There is no guarantee they EVER will!!! Russell Wilson aside data says otherwise. Schneider loves himself some buy low journeymen.
I’m not sure why the Seahawks or any team would start any player just because there isn’t trade value. You’re only going to go with who you think is the best option Geno is the best option as opposed to going with a rookie. They do need to draft one however in the next couple years.
If I have this right cha’s ‘aggressive plan’ (Cut Diggs, Adams, Dissly, Lockett, trade Geno left 26m of which 15m was figured for FA signings and 11m left)
Can’t see cutting Lockett, so you ask him he’d like to go for a ring with the Chiefs, for a 3rd?. It looks to me they are ok on cap?
This restructure added $10m cap hit if you trade Geno? So that basically leaves them at zero after the 15m spent filling the roster in FA (G/C, LBs, TE etc,).
Figure Geno to PIT for their #51 and you give them #78 (190 pts diff, same as a mid 3rd).
Picks are then 16, 51, 76, 95(Lockett spending a lttle time catching for Mahomes), 119, 151, 233. Then drafts
some people and take your lumps.
aTrade back from 16, say Verse slips to 16 and DET takes #16 and 151 for 29, 61, 92 … leaving 29, 51, 61, 76, 95, 119, and 233. (but also leaves you being the one that traded back from Verse). Then you grab Latham, Robinson, Trotter, Mustapha, Stover, Rattler (i you think you need to go higher, then do) and Jordan Davis (double dip on QB), he needs to heal, I know Davis doesn’t have a cannon, but he has arm talent, just that the ball seems like it is in slow motion times, but I like watching him play.
That all fits with not showing your hand with Geno
uhhh, Travis not Davis.
I’d say good luck getting a R3 for an ageing Lockett
Hey, Cha!
I don’t know what this means. Let’s say that the Shittsburg Stealers were interested in Jameis Winston. According to OTC, his free agency type is “void”. His numbers are currently APY $4 million and guarantees $4 million. Would he be a better target than Geno during that fire sale?
https://overthecap.com/free-agency/new-orleans-saints
While I would have loved a fresh start and no dead money next year I have to acknowledge that this sets them up to not have to force their hand in the draft. It also gives a rookie head coach a chance to experience a level of success, which is important to build buy in and culture.
I think we need to circle the name Spencer Rattler as a VERY interesting player for the Seahawks in this draft now.
Or Michael Pratt
Rob, I appreciated your video about current draft coverage.
Another aspect- As you mentioned, First Draft used to be so much fun with with McShay. Now it’s Field Yates. I don’t really have a problem with Yates- I just think he’s ho-hum vanilla.
ESPN seems intent on injecting this guy into all of their constent be it Matthew Berrys old role to multiple shows during the day to ow First Draft. He’s just boring.
It reminds me of the Soutb Park special recently, but this time it’s, “ADD FIELD YATES AND MAKE IT LAME!”
Some of you will get that(others won’t)
In the other hand ESPN is Disney…. Hmmmmnn
But I digress
From where the Hawks pick, I honestly don’t see a lot that I like in this draft class.
At 16? Or elsewhere?
There’s tons of players Iike just not at 16.
From 16 on. I’m just underwhelmed. Are there guys, sure. Actually lots of them. But, few that I’m banging the table for.
This whole situation makes me kinda just want to skip 2024 and onto 2025.
Bold choices with coaching and so far, cowardly, status quo moves on the roster. Very frustrating.
I just don’t think I can handle another year of “well if you take away Geno’s bad games; he’s elite” and “sure he might be 34, but physically he’s 24.”
This is frustrating. I’m tired of the middle of the pack. Like you Rob, I was actually excited about a 6-8 win season on the backs of youth and seeing a future vision start to take root.
Now? Another year of “run it back.” I’m really, truly sick of it.
You can’t base the 2024 season on one roster transaction under the new managment. Not even close.
There hasn’t even been a combine yet and people are throwing in the towel, because… we converted some guaranteed salary to signing bonus?
Every team does this every year and it is usually a reactive move because they’ve mangled their cap. Look at Diggs, Jamal and Lockett last year. Those were much more irresponsible restructures made necessary by cap mismanagement. This isn’t that.
This is a ‘whopping’ $9.6M restructure. We spread it out over 2 years and open up a variety of options, while not painting ourselves into a corner.
The irony of all of this is that I’m usually one of the most vocal opponents of how they are butchering the cap, and I don’t think this is a bad move. If we turn around and cut him before drafting a QB, I will eat my words.
Until then, we’ve freed up cap space next month, not tipped our hand regarding the draft and made Geno a far more enticing trade option.
Agreed. Feels like a year of “wait and see’s” from current players. Guys that we’re already tired of.
I think it’s going to be a year to want to skip….
Each to their own but this is already the most exciting and fresh off season in a decade in my opinion. I wouldn’t want to skip anything this year. Buckle up!
I think this is probably John’s strategy for risk-mitigation. Now, assuming we keep Geno, we can trade down in the draft and stockpile picks, strengthen the roster which still more than a quarterback away from being a contender. In the scenario one of the several QB’s falls into their lap somewhere in the 2nd-3rd round as Levis did last year unexpectedly, they can also get a QB of the future without feeling the pressure to reach for one because Drew Lock is your only QB.
Rob has said it too that this quarterback class is tough to project in terms of the range they fall. One could imagine Mccarthy, Nix or Penix dropping out of the first round or Maye dropping to the middle of the first. You can try to stockpile picks for next year if you like that class, since there will be a bunch of guys with no years of eligibility left, as this year’s draft class falls off after the 3rd round or so. I think this decision makes some sense with how many options it still gives you. It allows you to find the trades you like rather than forcing things in the draft.
Ugh. What more is there to say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Now expecting to hear about a Jamal Adams restructure and extension soon 😆 😢
OH, OH, NOOOO — PLEASE CUT OUT MY HEART WITH A SPOON! NOW!!!
Quandre Diggs is making 21 million this year. You’ll agree Jamal Adams is not as good of a safety, but is making 27 million, correct? Therefore, the only logical conclusion is Quandre Diggs should get a raise of at least 7 million raise. Agreed?
They damn well both better be gone
And what else floats on water?
https://twitter.com/BradyHenderson/status/1760877272641212562?s=19
We know Brady is close with JS. His tweet thread is phrased in a non-commital way, just how JS and MM have spoken about Geno. Between this, Schefter’s report, and the fact the combine is next week the trade talk has just begun.
It was certainly an interesting thread to read
Maybe JS doesn’t want uncertainty at the most important position on the field? Similar to the RW and Matt Flynn situation, the team paid up for a QB but wasn’t afraid to start the rookie who earned the spot? They haven’t committed anything to Geno beyond next season at this point.
Mostly cause QB play is down across the board right now, Geno is a fringe Top 10 QB in the league. Making this move to pretty much lock in that he’ll be Option 1 for 2024 is not the end of the world, and it doesn’t preclude them from taking a developmental guy either. I think it’s fine.
No way I see him as fringe top 10. Those who cherry pick stats say he is. I don’t buy it.
Mahomes, Allen, Jackson, Herbert, Burrow, Dak and Stafford I would definitively put ahead of Geno, with Stroud and Love highly likely to prove they didn’t have fluke seasons as well. By process of elimination that puts Geno in that top 10 fringe, right around the likes of Purdy, Tua, Goff, Cousins and Lawrence. All guys who have various warts to their game who you should be looking to improve upon, but if you have to settle you could do way worse.
He’s a good quarterback who seems better than he is because there’s a lot of bad ones out there right now, but I didn’t see any warning signs of declining athleticism or worsening decision making that makes me anticipate a further drop off. Seattle will be fine.
Love and Stroud have something to prove but not Geno? Genos 2022 could be the anomaly.
All those QBs are better than Geno making him 14th not “Fringe 10 with some other QB admissions on your part. And Caleb, Maye, and Daniels will add to that list as more valuable and possibly better.
Factor in the contracts of other QBs that are younger on rookie deals with more upside and that 14th becomes real generous and nowhere near Top 10. Money and contract matters. Paying market value for mediocrity is not valuable, smart, or good. All those guys are better. Cousins is the only one you could honestly debate.
All 5 of the QBs listed (Purdy-Lawrence) plus Kyler Murray are safely ahead of Geno. Personally, I would also add Richardson to that list making Geno fall somewhere around the 18th ranked QB which would put him near Baker Mayfield. That’s a fair assessment IMO. He’s a serviceable QB, nothing more.
I suspect (and not surprised) that their is not a market for Geno Smith. That’s why this move was made. Bby making this move it does make trading for Geno Smith more attractive. However, I think most teams are not looking to trade away a pic for Geno. Or last least a pic of value. Why trade for Geno when their are plenty of QBs that could be free agents. Compounded by the fact that their is a plethora of QBs in this draft.
I have never thought that there would be any trade market for Geno.
A year ago the Seahawks made a big show of being seen with the top 4 QB prospects. They seemed to be indicating that they were almost certain to draft one of them. The 3 most coveted Quarterbacks were out of their range.
Maybe last year they wanted everyone to believe that they were drafting a QB when they really wanted Spoon and JSN? This year they want everyone to think that they are settled with Geno at the starting Quarterback?
Hell, I don’t know what they are doing.
I’m OK with this more than I thought I would be. There is a bit of over reaction to this somewhat. Is this the start of freeing up cash to bring a big name FA defender in?
On that topic let’s see the D get better and take the pressure off Geno a bit. Let’s run the ball more and more effectively and help out.
Let’s build the trenches and the O line in particular this draft now.
Looking ahead to next year – let’s get TVD in the draft.
If it is, it’ll be Williams
I don’t think they know what the hell they’re doing…they got a haul for Russell Wilson and turned it into…a left tackle, a corner, a linebacker, and an edge — far from adding up to a Voltron. I’d always assumed it was to find a way to roll it into a QBOTF. Boy was I wrong. Now I’m not sure they can see past their noses.
Thinking a little more about this, maybe this Geno restructure means the Seahawks are going to push for a Geno trade even harder.
Given Schneider still didn’t give Geno any ringing endorsement on ESPN 710 while talking about the restructure and if you think about it why did they restructure NOW? If you want to restructure him, you can do it at any time, like the day before free agency.
To me the main reason to do it TODAY is to give yourself more time to hopefully pull off a trade before free agency starts, and give yourself ample time to layout your free agent/draft QB strategy.
And if no one will give you your min asking price, (3rd round? 4th round?) and you’re stuck with him, then so be it and you can furthermore plan accordingly.
And to add – obviously you do the restructure NOW to make Geno even more attractive to teams in the trade because they have to pay him even less money, since apparently they weren’t biting at the current dollar commitment.
But you can restructure as part of a trade agreement, and you put that on the table for any talks. Doing it before you have a partner doesn’t actually gain anything, does it?
Maybe it just gets the conversation going……….. possibly no one was calling with Geno’s current situation. And GMs like to pretend they weren’t trying to trade anyone claiming they didn’t make any outgoing calls themselves. Otherwise there wouldn’t be any need to seed all of these NFL reporters with “rumors” that a player “might be available.”
So you restructure it now to hopefully at least get some GM’s to say fine, I’ll bite and call and ask how much they want for Geno. Schneider gets the GM in the door and then hopefully can get them up just enough to meet his minimum requirements.
And if no one calls, doesn’t make a difference, you had already made peace with keeping him and paying the full amount.
Why would you be waiting for a call? There’s 32 GMs. Make 32 calls and say, “Yo, you want Geno, you know this goes.” This can’t be all that effing complicated. This isn’t high school prom.
I don’t pretend to know how these GM things work. But if it’s as simple as that, why do these “reporters” get seeded with front office leaks all the time?
But beyond that – just in general if you’re bargaining over anything, you probably have more leverage if someone comes to you and you know they are interested vs. you knocking on doors, and then then you can’t accurately gauge how much interest the other party has. Whether that’s a real thing in the case of the NFL, no idea =)
My thinking is that doing it now achieves two things. First, the Seahawks need the cap relief now in order to make a few moves. They likely looked at the trade market and saw that they wouldn’t get any worthwhile offers without taking on the dead money hit. So if you know you will have to do it, why not do it now and so you can plan while fielding offers. I just think there is too much smoke. They know how divided gas are over Geno. If you were committed to him for 2024, even if you planned to draft a rookie, why wouldn’t John come out and emphatically tell the world he is our guy?!
They know Geno isn’t their guy or he’d be on a five year blockbuster deal, however this will be going on the third year of Geno not being their guy, being their guy, with no apparent plan otherwise therefore ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
And if Schneider today went out said we’re restructuring Geno and he’s our guy for this year! Then I think I’d take him at his word and that would be the end of the story for this season. But he didn’t do that. So I think they’re still trying hard to trade him.
I mean a league average QB (say Geno is #16) for $12M has to have value……… The problem is that maybe many teams want to see if they get lucky and some QB they want drops to the 2nd or 3rd round and not dying to give up that trade capital until they find out.
One more thought is that at a minimum we’ve heard MacDonald praise free agent Drew Lock at least twice, and Grubb at least once.
There’s only a couple of possibilities of why that is:
A) we take them at face value that Schneider and them really like Lock and are trying to butter him up
B) It was a negotiating tactic to threaten Geno’s agent that he better take a pay cut or the Seahawks might completely cut Geno
C) Some other 3D chess move
A & B would seem most likely – but given they they’ve guaranteed Geno two different tranches of money, B either wasn’t the reason or a complete bluff. It stands to reason that it might simply be A) Schneider and others might really like Lock and think he’s a great value given his skillset/upside.
But Lock isn’t a great value at $5-8 million if he’s stuck behind Geno starting again at his price tag. It stands to reason if you really like Lock, you’ll give him the chance to start the season (and fight with a rookie) rather than park him behind Geno and still not find out what you got.
And with the thoughts that maybe they got Grubb in part because they thought he’d be a good fit for Penix. Doesn’t Lock’s skillset sort of resemble Penix? Lock seems to have an above average arm (not as strong as Penix), Lock doesn’t seem that accurate under pressure. Both are moderate to low mobile. Maybe Schneider thinks Grubb would also be a good fit for Lock.
Ok, people overreact massively.
If the plan was to keep Geno it doesn’t mean mediocre season – whole new coaching staff, D can be better, O can be better by playcalling and such. Maybe Schneider wanted some continuity or hedge and doesn’t trust Lock that much. It doesn’t mean PCJS years will continue.
If they plan to trade him this could mean better compensation and/or more potential teams. Maybe 16+Geno for somewhere around #9-13, or R3+Geno for R2. Or another R3. Or teams so far said that no way, eat some cap and we might think about it and this is how they can get a late R3 or R4 for him.
Or they don’t feel like most QBs are NFL ready and view Lock as a backup. So ’24 needs to be Geno with a rookie learning the NFL and in ’25 if I understand they can cut/trade Geno without dead cap.
Or this new regime can’t go 2-15 after 7-9 year wins seasons because Jody wouldn’t take that and they need to build smart and by step-by-step. Now coaching and some roster, if coaching seems good then more roster.
There are valid reasons for this move and we shouldn’t announce the funeral of this FO so soon
I don’t care about the move. I care that the GM has never shown an ability to understand markets.
Feels more like a vote of no confidence in Lock than confidence in Geno. I wanted him cut two weeks ago. Yes, Lock’s asking price might have gone up a tick. Yes, there’s a bit more telegraphing in the draft. All worth it. I just don’t see the value of these recent moves with Geno in the context of what the team is going through post-Pete.
Even if they don’t draft a QB I still would have preferred Geno gone for the cap savings, then Lock and journeyman backup to start the season.
My hope now is that Geno is traded and they go with the aggressive overhaul to account for the added cap hit (i.e. Adams, Diggs, Lockett and Dissly).
Why would MacDonald and Grubb have been talking up Lock the past few weeks in interviews and then all of a sudden have no confidence in him? He hasn’t taken a single snap since then.
The only possibility I can think of along those lines were that Schneider, MacDonald and Grubb were trying to butter up Lock to sign a sweetheart contract extension for like $4 million a year and Lock’s agent balked at that and wanted say $10-12 million a year, and Schneider said never mind, we’ll just stick with Geno for now (since they already had the big dead cap number in him).
I hear ya, and I don’t have the answers. I would say that “talking about” and “talking up” are two different things. And I should have said “less confidence”. I know they like him.
I have thought that Lock may have been asking for too much, anticipating a Geno departure. But they could have, and can still, create a deal for him with incentives for starts and other metrics to alter his pay depending on his backup vs starter status throughout the season.
Personally, had they signed Lock for $10M and cut Geno two weeks ago, I’d call that a win. Or, something less guaranteed, with performance incentives to make it grow to $10M, for example. I prefer Lock to Geno, straight up, so there’s that.
I don’t see how this is a vote of no confidence in Lock, a player they’ve kept bringing up for weeks
I don’t think this has any notable connection to Lock
Is it possible that Lock has been signaling to the team that he’s interested in moving on, going elsewhere, and that the name-dropping by Macdonald and Grubb has been their way of saying ‘you’re important to us, stick around ‘? The Schefter tweet could’ve been part of that effort as well. And perhaps the love thrown his way hasn’t swayed him enough to want to stay, so Schneider decided to move forward with Smith?
Why would he want to move on. Not sure where he would start in this league. Commenter Jeff above talked about buttering him up for a sweetheart deal. 4 million to ride the pine is the sweetheart deal.
Thanks to minshew and Mayfield I’m not sure multi year backups with two games played in two seasons get paid any more than that.
Heard this from Brock. According to Brock, there seems to be an interest around the league in Lock.
Don’t know if that is true. But heard that on Brock/Sauk.
I know this is a site of reasonable people…. So let’s reason this out.
Geno has been a top 15 QB the last 2 seasons and could easily repeat that this season. (Source QBR, PFF)
Our goal is to have a top 5 QB like Allen, Machines, Burrow, Lamar and pick your 5th.
Every team wants a top 5 QB, they don’t grow on trees (1 team can get one every 2 or 3 years?) and the next best thing is a top 15(?) QB on a rookie contract. (Available to about 1 team every 1 or 2 years?)
While I think it’s possible Lock could produce at a similar rate to what Geno has done the last 2 years, Lock has never been a top 15 QB 2 straight seasons.
The Seahawks want to win this season, Geno currently gives them the best chance of winning.
The likelihood of landing a top 5 QB or simply a top 15 on a rookie deal where we’re drafting isn’t very good, especially looking to trade down. So why not give your team the best chance at winning now, while then taking shots in the draft while still using higher picks to compliment the QB you already have? (complimenting could be with a defensive player to make the overall team better)
In other words, if they keep Geno, they’re setting a floor for production. Same reason you sign a decent backup QB. The front office also probably sees simply making the playoffs as one of its goals, so Geno may actually increase that likelihood 50% when the current difference between making the playoffs and not could be just 1 win.
Win what now though.
A singular playoff game. I don’t think our odds of being more than 9-8 again have risen.
I’m stoked on the new coaches but looking at Detroit pur nearest analog and our own team in 2009 I just don’t see “winning” whatever that entails as in reach.
Geno is fine. The delta from top 15,12,10 to 4,3,3,1 in terms of qb play is massive.
This is less about Geno now though. This is about team that has apparently no real idea what markets are for players and continually misses in its guesses.
The team that passed on paying Russell Wilson and took a draft haul is the one that “continually misses”?
Didn’t Rob love the Geno contract? Didn’t Rob think there was value in his contract?
Sorry, but the amount paid for a top 15 QB in Geno seems low compared to the market.
The safety market.
The middle linebacker that is aging market.
The run blocking not catching TE market.
The whoops tyler might actually be making way too much for his production market.
John’s Cap guy and himself have made plenty of misses.
Re: Top 15, Top 12. Why do we go round and round the pole with this. Why is this brought up all the time. He’s better than half or a third of starting qbs? I really don’t care about the money though. This is a pattern for Seattle. There’s not a market for player ‘x’ yet they pay them a premium for reasons.
Then multiple sides of the fan base universally agree there needs to be upgrades in draft and free agency yet are fairly content to continue paying their guys much, much more than league would.
On the playoffs. I have to think ownership sees it different. They had a legend who proved he could consistently get to the playoffs. Why not just keep him? Many fans would gave been ecstatic to roll with Pete indeed indefinitely.
Counter point: they aren’t going to win with Geno. They are going to be a wild care team.
At some point you can’t keep complimenting “competent.” You need to push for that elite player. Geno is safe. Geno is Pete Carroll. Geno is .500 or a little bit better. Geno is also boring.
Lock is probably worse, but unknown. Could lead to a higher pick, but no coach is going to focus on that. Lock is the guy that strikes out 5 x and hits 2 home runs in 10 ab’s.
Point is mute. Geno, Lock, veteran qb. Not good enough. You don’t/ can’t build around them. Best chance of winning with them is where we have been.
I honestly prefer the Lock route and take a chance on someone like Nix.
It’s just odd that making the playoffs isn’t seen as a goal by some. Obviously you want to make it to the Superbowl and win that, and give yourself the best chance at doing that every year…
If people don’t recognize that the owner, GM and coach see making the playoffs as a bare minimum goal, then I can understand why they’re so upset at retaining a top 15 QB. Because the people running the franchise want to win and put butts in seats.
Some people upset at having Geno sound like they’re okay losing 12 games. Clearly there are different priorities and people don’t seem to understand the priority of winning as many games as possible this year. That won’t necessarily preclude drafting a QBOTF, but it does mean that a drafted QB may have to work a lot harder to get on the field this year.
I think that it is too much of the same thing: too many moral victories, too many bad sales pitches from the team.
For a new (brand new) coaching staff, playoffs are probably a good victory for them; way to cut their teeth. I think a lot of us are tired of another playoff game that can’t lead to anywhere. Me personally, I just don’t take anything away from having a playoff game if we aren’t a legit threat.
Also a problem that a lot of us have: yes, Geno is better. But we still prefer Lock. No need to get crucified over it (just a generic vent).
Perhaps Advisor Pete is in the house?
After reading that the restructure happened, I felt a bit gutted and viewed the point the team was content on “running it back with Geno”.
I would definitely need Curtis’ view, but as I read his previously written, aggressive plan, I kind of like the idea of just cutting Jamal Adams (not Post June 1) and eating that whole kit and 24 freeing up everything for 25. Maybe this eating of Gino In 24 frees up his money in 25 and we post June 1 cut Adams and that does make 25 a little bit more flexible than now.
I understand the point of potentially restructuring contracts, now to kind of facilitate the general thing, so it kind of feels like we’re still robbing Peter to pay Paul and maybe this is the hedge to get people off the scent of us drafting a QB.
I also think that this potential restructure gives us a 4th rd pick instead of a 5th if the market wasn’t hot on Geno.
What does this tell us about MacD and Grubbs?
They must be on board with the plan. JS isn’t acting without their input. There’s a plan at work that they agree with.
With quarterback, I bet he is. I bet it was one of the main points during interviews.
I really don’t care for this move. Why are we continuing to mortgage the future to win a few more meaningless games now? No one can seriously look at this roster and think there’s even a remote chance of being competitive in 2024. In a few weeks it’s very likely this team will have 0 safeties, linebackers, and tight ends on the roster, and barely enough cap space to do anything more than plug those same holes back up. It’s putting way too much pressure on a rookie HC and rookie DC to transform that unit into anything better than a bottom 5 defense.
It’s now going to cost $13.5M to move on from Geno next year when we could have been off the hook entirely. We’ve been trying this “rebuild on the fly” stuff for 5+ years now and it’s just not working. At some point you need to rip the band aid off and reset. Such is the consequence of our horrible cap management and personnel decisions caused by Pete’s deluded optimism.
I think the 3rd from last paragraph is the most likely. Use this years draft to build the trenches. Take a shot on a QB in fourth or fifth if Rattler is there. The gunslinger trpe that JS likes
Kind of feel like they’ve already been doing this the last two years already
Top-10 pick on a tackle, two high seconds on pass rushers, another high pick spent on Leonard Williams, other picks on the OL
I’m happy to keep building through the trenches but eventually you have to actually look at the QB position too. We aren’t going to set up a perfect situation for a perfect QB
I’m not sure this restructure move changes the dial that much, there seems much gnashing of teeth here. I think the one implication it does have, is that the Seahawks won’t be drafting a QB to start this year. That likely means that Michael Penix Jr is not a target, but if that is the case with Ryan Grubb on the staff, knowing him better than anyone, it might tell you they’re right to have doubts to his fit as an NFL QB or just they like another players better? If that’s the call, I’d have confidence they’re making it on the best grounds.
Almost all other options are still on the table, including drafting other QB’s who’ll benefit from a year or two behind Geno, after trading down or trading up. If Drake Maye falls to the Chargers pick (who’re in cap hell), who’s to say the Seahawks wouldn’t trade up to #5? Perhaps they’ll like JJ McCarthy and will move up to #10, both these younger QB’s might benefit from a years conditioning and sitting behind an established starting QB? Maybe they trade down (though John Schneider hasn’t had his best drafts when picking outside the Top 15) or just sit where they are and take a top defensive lineman or edge? Lots to look forward to and still get excited about, with this new coaching regime.
I don’t know. Geno’s contract adjusted for NFL inflation isn’t that far off what Matt Flynn was getting. Whatever qb is best from Geno on out should be starting.
I agree with that. The best man for the job wins it, always. Just that with Matt Flynn on the roster, the Seahawks selected a QB in the 3rd. I doubt they could’ve imagined the player Russell Wilson would become and so quickly when they drafted him.
My point on. Penix is that with his history working with Grubb, his age and long experience in college football, you’d most likely think to select him to start quickly, unlike later round guys or younger guys.
That’s fair. I see what you are getting at there.
Mock Draft 1.0
18. J.J. McCarthy, QB
60. Ruke Orhorhoro, DT/DE
76. Payton Wilson, LB
119. Jaheim Bell, TE
151. Kitan Oladapo, S
194. Gabe Hall, DT/DE
206. Mohamed Kamera, EDGE
I made a few trades to secure third round and fourth round picks in 2025 after trading up for J.J. McCarthy so I wasn’t able to upgrade the O-Line but I did manage to secure other positional need.
Trading down** Kamara**
I read the article last night and then kind of sat on it and thought about what the team might be thinking.
So here are my thoughts, just convert the roster bonus to the signing bonus now, and just make teams looking at the veteran QB market see the value in having a solid yet unspectacular QB for $12.9m. Which could provide a more palatable contract for a team who may want a Bridge QB.
Also, they might be getting ready to eat a lot of dead cap money this season, structure contracts with a low cap hit this season, then have them bump up in 2025.
Just messing with over the cap, if they deal Geno, cut Bryan Mone, Will Dissly, Quandre Diggs, Nick Bellore and Dee Eskridge, then cut Jamal Adams with a post 6/1 tag, that opens up just about $43.8M in cap space this season, which could go up based on what Tyler Lockett does. Which in turn is closer to $38M in effective cap space. On the flip side they would be looking at close to $90M going into 2025 before anything free agent signings this off season.
Now if Geno is the QB this season, his dead money hit goes down to $13.5M next season, so if he isn’t dealt this off-season, I could very well see this as a bridge season with the intention of starting a young QB next year and Geno being cut.
I am starting to wonder as well, if Schneider is not as big of a fan of these QBs in this raft either. Or he knows he can’t get the one he wants so he is going to try to figure it all out.
What happened with Geno’s contract isn’t the guarantee stamp that he will be the starting QB for the Seahawks next season, like many are claiming it to be. I think it really does open up his trade value, which Rob, you mentioned could happen to facilitate a trade or increase draft comp.
If Jamal Adams is cut outright Pre June 1st, would that mean there would be less Dead money to pay next year than if he’s cut with a Post June 1st designation?
It’s not clear on Over the Cap’s Salary Calculator, the 2025 dead cap total stays the same, whether or not he’s a post June 1 designation this year or cut outright? This doesn’t seem right though?
It is a little confusing.
When you look at what scenario they have, the cap savings and dead are shown if you take the action in that year.
If Adams is cut before June 1 2024, they eat all the dead cap in 2024 and are completely clear in 2025. All that cap in 2025 ($27.916m) comes off the books and is added back to their cap space.
If they keep him in 2024 and do nothing, but then cut him in 2025 pre June1, they eat $9.794m dead and save $18.122m in cap room for 2025.
Thanks for that.
I wonder if Lock turned them down. He may just want to go somewhere else if he’s not going to be the starter.
Yep. Can’t blame Lock if that’s so.
This will not change until the team is sold to an owner who aims to win a Super Bowl. Paul’s goal was to win the Super Bowl. The extra playoff game allows teams to continue like the Seahawks. Keep the fan base excited and interested until the end of the season. We are in the playoffs or “we just missed”. If the stars are aligned, we make it to the Super Bowl. Many do not like Jerry Jones. But he aims to win the Super Bowl. I believe there is a HUGE difference between being competitive and managing the team to settle for nothing less than the Super Bowl.
It kinda reminds me of Matt Flynn. They paid him good money in FA only to have the opportunity to draft Wilson and open the competition. They might think the draft is too unpredictable to determine if they are able to add a QB they like (without moving up or even after moving down). So, this could be insurance just as the Flynn signing was at that time.
The media talk was always just hot air. Seems like one more year with Geno but the hope of a rookie QB still lives. A year on the bench has worked sometimes.
It wasn’t ‘media talk’. That’s a disingenuous way of framing it
It was the actual GM and the HC, their words (or lack of them), plus a report from a reporter, one of the top tier newsbreakers in the NFL who operates almost predominantly quid pro quo, touting the possibility of a trade
You’re acting like this was Ryan Clark pitching an idea on ESPN or Mike Salk thinking out loud for a segment
It’s the GM and HC talking to media.
So the literal words of the GM and coach, not ‘media talk’
Again, using the words ‘media talk’ implies it was some random speculation or a take from someone in the media. John Schneider and Mike Macdonald being asked a series of questions, and answering in a very consistent, non committal way, is not ‘media talk’ and warrants consideration
Rob, I just noticed in the transactions tracker that Jimmy Garoppolo was given a 2 game suspension last week for PED, and voiding all future guarantees on his contract. Maybe I’ve been under a rock but I hadn’t seen that before. Might that not have some impact on the Raiders willingness to move immediately in a different direction?
He’s going to be released so the Raiders have already moved on, that’s been reported
Don’t like overreacting. I think this move camouflages our draft intent and keeps us somewhat relevant with an average Qb. My worry is the board falls wrong, can’t find a trade down partner, the qb we wanted gets taken, and we don’t draft a qb for the 15th year. Or, this is pure genius and JS is 6 moves ahead of everybody in his chess game.
I’m really hoping Lock comes back and Geno is traded. Even a fourth would do. I am not surprised it seems Lock is drawing more interest than Geno around the League.
Lock is riskier, but he’s young and makes decisions and acts, while Geno double-clutches and hesitates all too often.
I think Lock would be a better player than Geno, if given a full year as The Man.
Still think Seattle trying to dump Geno and bring Lock back. And I’m convinced they want a QBOTF and will draft one. I think they are trying to engineer a Draft Day trade of Geno so they can sneak in and nab their QB. There’s really no reason to telegraph their intentions by trading him for peanuts or cutting him now.
I guess time will tell.
“I really don’t care for this move. Why are we continuing to mortgage the future to win a few more meaningless games now? No one can seriously look at this roster and think there’s even a remote chance of being competitive in 2024. In a few weeks it’s very likely this team will have 0 safeties, linebackers, and tight ends on the roster, and barely enough cap space to do anything more than plug those same holes back up. It’s putting way too much pressure on a rookie HC and rookie DC to transform that unit into anything better than a bottom 5 defense.
It’s now going to cost $13.5M to move on from Geno next year when we could have been off the hook entirely. We’ve been trying this “rebuild on the fly” stuff for 5+ years now and it’s just not working. At some point you need to rip the band aid off and reset. Such is the consequence of our horrible cap management and personnel decisions caused by Pete’s deluded optimism.” Gritty Hawk. I totally agree. We need to find the long-term solution at QB. Not figuring out if we can get to 10 or 11 wins. And if we are lucky, we might win a first round playoff game. The Hawks need to do more than just win a playoff game and go home. We have been their and done that. It’s time to build a consistent winner. If you are going to have a consistent winner it starts with finding the long-term solution at QB. Not an aging QB who is on the wrong side of 34.
Salary cap explodes to $255.4 million
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/salary-cap-explodes-to-255-4-million
The salary cap is going to go up from $224,8 million to $255.40 million. This is going to make a lot of veterans smile.
ImHO this makes it that much less likely Seattle are able to find a trade partner for Geno Smith. Half of the reasons people thought they would be able to sell him to a qb needy team was that he provided good value. Now with the cap exploding, nobody will need such “value.”
180 that opinion and you are spot on.
All the more reason they should have cut him before Feb. 16th.