My apologies if you think the title of this article doesn’t offer enough respect towards Geno Smith, and his time quarterbacking for the Seahawks. I do not mean this piece as a disrespect towards him, at all.

In fact, I deeply appreciate what Geno did carrying on for Russell Wilson after Seattle made that other shocking trade away of their other starting quarterback. In that opening season match against Denver, he absolutely won me over as a fan, and I have stayed pretty loyal towards him defending him countless times against fans who, for whatever reason, felt he was a horrible quarterback (he wasn’t, not even close).

During the 2022, when he was torching up defenses for a month or so, I had so many visions of grandeur that Seattle had found their Rich Gannon, a long time NFL journeyman quarterback who found his game late, and played hot for a number of years. I was happy to see him extended on an affordable three year contract, and while his play in 2023 and 2024 didn’t totally match his performance of 2022, I still thought he played reasonably well enough to stay the starter here.

But not all fans have thought as warmly about Geno Smith as I have. Some have been downright horrible towards him, and I felt this growing significantly last season.

I was at four home games last season, Seattle lost all four, and in my sections, I saw vitriol directed towards Geno Smith unlike anything I have ever seen against Russ on a bad Sunday, Hasselbeck, Rick Mirer, or even Dave Krieg. With each game, it felt like it got worse.

Now, I will be the first to admit that I didn’t love his red zone interceptions that happened this year. Honestly, I think he cost us the game against the Rams, and the game against the Vikings with Sam Darnold (more on him in a minute), and both of those were very winnable matches for Seattle. It was painful walking out of Lumen Field after both games knowing that we could have pulled them off, but didn’t, and Geno had played a big part in those losses.

But I also know that Geno Smith was not helped much by coordinator at the time Ryan Grubb. Way too often, Geno was left looking way downfield on third and manageable plays with no outlet receiver to dump off to against pressure sent. Honestly, the Grubb offense felt like a college offense going against pro defenses. It was full of half field reads, it lacked desired creativity, and consistency. Geno might have thrown a lot of red zone picks, but I don’t think Grubb knew how to effectively play call against NFL red zone defenses, either, and that is why he was quickly fired at the end of the season.

On one level, it is a shame that we won’t see Geno Smith in this new Klint Kubiak offense. I think he likely would have fit it really well. Kubiak lives off of play action passing, and Geno is a very gifted play action passer. For me, it is a bit of a bummer we didn’t get to see him bounce back here in 2025 with a better season.

But I get the business of the NFL, I really do. I think most fans don’t realize how difficult it is to be a successful NFL GM. You have 53 players you have to fill out a roster with in a league that plays 17 regular season games, and it almost always is a war of attrition each year through the coarse of these long seasons. Professional football is a hyper violent sport, and the teams who make the playoffs either catch enough breaks with avoiding a lot of injuries, or they are just simply deep enough throughout their roster construction to overcome them. A good GM has got to see the bigger picture every single day.

Geno Smith has been a good, mostly reliable starting quarterback that past few years. If he was 28 years old, I would say “by all means, John Schneider, pay him what he wants.”

But Geno is about to turn 35 years old in October, and paying him $45 million a year through 2028 when he would be 38 years old just feels way too risky and rich for my blood. Apparently, it did for John Schneider, as well.

Also, if Geno Smith was more universally loved by the fans of this team, I would probably feel very differently about this trade, but I know he is not universally adored. I think the fanbase grew to be really split down the middle with him in 2024, and I think another big extension of Geno would have been a really hard sell on about half of the fanbase.

I was at the last game the Seahawks played in 2024 at home, I was up pretty close to the Seahawk bench, and I watched Geno get into a yelling match with an angry fan. It was not a great look.

In fact, it was a terrible look, in my opinion, and while I know there are fans of his that probably applauded his feistiness in the heat of the moment, I just thought to myself that it wasn’t acceptable for a QB1 to do that, at all. I am sure Matt Hasslebeck, Warren Moon, Krieg, and Jim Zorn heard all kinds of shit from drunk fans in the stands, and they let it slide. It comes with the job.

But there were other job related things that Geno did really well in Seattle. Generally, he was a very accurate passer, and he threw a beautiful deep ball. Over the past three seasons, he has been one of the best fourth quarterback come back winning quarterbacks in the game. He also almost always played well in a muddied pocket, staying strong, moving to avoid sacks and still getting off accurate passes. These are things that he was pretty good at, and that is why I think it is just goofy whenever I see someone say that he sucks. It quite literally looks like they just don’t know ball, and they want someone else as the Seahawks quarterback who isn’t Geno Smith.

Well, now they have their wish. Hopefully, they are kinder to the next starter if he is able to also provide capable QB play on Sundays.

For the record, I think Vegas is a great fit for Geno Smith, and I expect him to do well there for the next few years. It is not because Pete Carroll is there either, welcoming him with a warm loving embrace. I suspect Tom Brady’s presence will have a positive effect on him, and I think he’s a really good system fit for Chip Kelly who now utilizes more pro style play action passing than ever before. He’s also going to have an incredibly bright young tight end to throw at, and if Tyler Lockett joins, I think they can be competitive this year.

As, for the Seattle Seahawks, I absolutely believe that this was the right call. Geno Smith is not likely the long term answer here at QB1, and therefore, there is very little need to pay him as such.

Seattle was interested in $35 million APY, not the $45 million he wanted. They probably also weren’t very interested in a bunch of guarantees tied into future years where if they drafted a young quarterback that they liked a lot, it would be harder to move Geno off the cap in 2026 or 2027 when they would be ready for the youngster to take over. I believe Seattle was looking to sign Geno to another team friendly deal in order to go year to year with him until they could find a younger alternative, and he wanted a larger commitment than they were willing to offer.

And I would also say this; if you are to pay a soon to be 35 year old quarterback that kind of money, and there is a soon to be 28 year old quarterback on the free agent market who is basically a younger version of him, doesn’t it make some sense to go after the younger fella, instead? I sorta think it is.

Of course by this, you probably can guess I am referring to Sam Darnold, and the reports that Seattle is now interested in him. Well, I am. Let’s talk for a moment about Sam.

If news breaks on Monday or Tuesday that the Seahawks and Sam Darnold have agreed to basically the same deal that they were offering Geno Smith, I would be pretty damn happy about that. I have been actively pontificating on this blog for months now about Seattle bringing in Darnold.

For me, I think Sam Darnold is essentially a seven year younger version of Geno Smith. I think he’s got similar arm talent, and similar abilities as a play action quarterback, and therefore, I think he’s potentially a really solid fit for this Kubiak scheme (which he has played in). A three year Baker Mayfield type of deal would satisfy me greatly, if Darnold were to sign it here for that.

And I get it if that would not wow you, and you would treat that news with skepticism, and maybe disappointment. Maybe you would be a more of a Justin Fields fan, or there’s someone in the draft that you would rather see. I would understand that.

But for me, I just look at system fit, age, and timelines. Sam Darnold, for me, kinda feels right for Seattle with where they are right now with these new coaches, and youth on the roster. He’s seasoned, and it feels like potentially he is really coming into his own as a passer. I think Darnold is a worthy gamble, and maybe more so than any of the quarterbacks in the draft this year, and there is a few I like.

I also think that Seattle signing Darnold would not prevent them from drafting a quarterback if one they fell in love with fell to this in April, or within the next few years. I just simply view him potentially as a younger safety net QB1, which is basically how I viewed Geno over the past three season.

Anyhoo, these are kind of my thoughts on the potential of Darnold in Seattle right now. Back to Geno Smith.

I really, truly, deeply appreciate Geno, and his time spent in Seattle. I have enjoyed rooting for his success. It was fun seeing him come out of nowhere and surprise us with his play, and I really do wish him well in Vegas.

I also know that this coming draft class is especially deep at defensive tackle, tight end, running back, and there are some really good interior offensive linemen prospects. Seattle can use that third round pick from Vegas to get a really special player on the defensive line, or a really talented tight end, or offensive guard. They can flush out this roster with physical players so that Mike Macdonald better see his vision through with his guys, and not Pete Carroll holdovers.

Because of this, I really do think this was a good deal for Seattle, no matter what the negative narrative is right now around this team. I don’t think this is necessarily any rebuild mode they are entering. It proved not to be that when they traded Russell Wilson, and therefore, I don’t think it should be viewed that way now.

But let’s see where we are in all of this in a week of the first wave of free agency where Seattle now has the seventh best cap space to shop. Fans could be looking at this thing very differently if in a week’s time Seattle has signed Sam Darnold, Cooper Kupp, center Drew Dalman, and guard Aaron Banks. All of these guys fit the Kubiak scheme, and then there’s the draft to consider. This could be just beginning of a really cool offseason.

Here is one final other tidbit I want to throw at you. Over the course of these last few days, there have been whispers around the Seahawks about how strained of relationship DK Metcalf and Geno Smith had with each other over the past couple seasons. In fact, there is enough noise around this that I wouldn’t be totally surprised if, with Geno now shipped out, DK has a change of heart, and is more willing to stay. In fact, I would not be completely shocked if this proves true, and he sticks around on a new deal. We shall see soon enough.

Things to think about, at least.

Go Hawks.

Well, Wednesday was certainly interesting news cycle for the Seattle Seahawks. On the same day the team announced the release of long time fan favorite Tyler Lockett, their bigger superstar receiver, DK Metcalf, officially requested a trade. What a fun way to distract from the crazy ass trade war the US has started with Canada! LOL!

Honestly, I get it if this news is upsetting to a lot of Seahawk fans. If you are upset by this, I get it. I do. For me, I am not too upset.

I loved having Tyler Lockett in Seattle over the years, and I am still a big fan and believer in DK Metcalf. I also believe that Jaxon Smith Njigba is growing into the primary receiver for the Seahawks, will need to be paid in a couple years, and if there is a time to trade a rare talent such as DK, now is probably a good time, if the right deal presents itself.

Sometimes, change is a really good thing. A year ago, I thought it was right to move on from Pete Carroll for Mike Macdonald.

I liked the hire of Macdonald a lot. He’s a Baltimore guy, and I felt under Carroll, Seattle drifted away too much from being the physical team it was a decade ago. I felt a bright young Baltimore guy like Macdonald, a Harbaugh guy, was needed, and Seattle’s defense showed significant enough signs of improvement in his first year coaching that validated the hire, in my mind. I’m excited about what this defense can be in year two.

I also think it is now the right move for this team to reallocate big funds away from skill positions and place these dollars into the offensive line. John Schneider spent two years building up the defensive line into respectability, and it is time to now do this for the offensive line, and I do not just want to see them add a couple rookies into it, and call it good.

I want two proven quality vets, and if that comes at the expense of a couple expensive receivers, I am good with it. We still have JSN, and John Schneider has a good eye for drafting receivers over the years. I will trust John to find us another good one.

In a nutshell, this is why I am not upset over with this news. Love Tyler, love DK, but I am ready for a change.. I think.

I am! I’m ready.

Here are my thoughts on both.

Tyler Lockett

In my opinion, I think Tyler Lockett ranks as the second best receiver in the history of the Seahawk franchise. What is fascinating about his story is that he shares the same birthdate with Steve Largent, who is the best receiver in franchise history, and what is even more wild than that is that both players grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. So, on top of all the resiliency and consistency, spectacular play, and production that Seattle got from Tyler, his history here is full of fun factoids.

I also think, for as good as Tyler was on the field, and he was really good, he was even a better person off of it. He was as good of a teammate as you would hope to find in the league. He was super supportive of Geno Smith when Seattle moved on from Russell Wilson, he was supportive of Mike Macdonald when he replaced the legendary Pete Carroll, and I think he has been a great role model for all of his younger teammates over the recent years of transition. As a person, he is simply as good as it can ever possibly get.

In many of these ways, I will probably miss Tyler Lockett more than I will ever miss DK Metcalf. I am holding onto a slim hope that maybe Tyler finds a cold enough market that he returns to Seattle at a reduced cost in a month’s time, but I am not putting a lot of stock into that.

For one, I do not believe Tyler is necessarily an ideal fit for their new scheme under coordinator Klint Kubiak which requires more physicality out of receivers as blockers on outside zone run plays, and also for them to be big YAC players with the football. We have all seen Tyler making routine business decisions in the open field after catches in recent years. That will not cut it in this scheme.

JSN, with his blend of crisp route running, soft hands, YAC production, and size to factor as a blocker, is an idea fit for a Shanahan/Kubiak offense. In a hypothetical scenario, if Seattle was able to entice Cooper Kupp to join the team up here to replace DK, he and JSN could cook up pretty well together for a few years, I suspect. These guys are perfect west coast offense receivers, but I digress.

For Tyler, I think the destination that would make a lot of sense for him would be Kansas City where they aren’t likely going to be able to afford DK, but Andy Reid would be able to make great use of his route running skills with Patrick Mahomes throwing the ball, and I think he would more than be willing to live with whatever business decisions he would make after the catch. When you have a superstar at quarterback, you just want to surround him with reliable hands and guys who get open. That is Tyler Lockett, even to this day, probably.

I just hate that on a day that Tyler Lockett should be celebrated for all he as done as a Seahawk and thanked, we have to share this news of his release with the news of DK wanting out. Apparently, the Seahawks hated this too because reports are that they are pissed DK’s front leaked this trade request to the media on the same day they released Tyler. Wednesday was supposed to be a celebration of Tyler Lockett and instead, DK and his agents crapped all over it. That sucks.

But onto DK Metcalf.

DK Metcalf

I like DK Metcalf. I take a lot of heat from friends who aren’t as keen on him as I am, and I have staunchly remained his defender. I understand how some of his antics rub people wrong, but I appreciate the rare talents he provides as a player, and I like guys who play with a bit of chip.

I think DK is a truly rare talent in this league, more so than maybe some other fans view him. His size and speed ratio forces defensive coaches to be aware of him at all times, and I think his presence on the field helps others around him. Tyler benefitted greatly from DK, and so has JSN, in my opinion.

I also think that what DK provides as a nasty run blocker would work very nicely in this new scheme. On top of being a threat to take the top of defenses off, Ken Walker runs to the outside with him blocking would be a lot of fun to watch with a commitment to this particular scheme.

But I am not super thrilled about paying top dollar to a player who maybe doesn’t fully want to be here any longer, and I see this as a unique advantage for Seattle to get pretty decent value out of him in a trade potentially. So, I am game to it.

For the record, I do not expect him to be back with the team. This is just my hunch, but I don’t think he has fully embraced the new coaches, and I don’t think that he has a deep connection with Geno Smith, and other players on the team outside of Tyler who is no longer here. I also don’t think he feels this organization is on it’s way to winning a title soon, and I think he would probably like to get paid big time either in a bigger glitzier market, or on a team that is closer to title contention. It is reported that multiple teams are interested, and when multiple teams show enough interest, usually a bidding war happens. Therefore, I think he’s most likely out-y. If I am wrong and he plays another season here, I will enjoy watching him again for a bit longer, but I don’t think I am. He will most likely be elsewhere in a few months, if not days or weeks.

The speculation for what Seattle could get for DK Metcalf is probably going to be all over the place. Last Friday, it was reported that the Green Bay Packers were willing to offer a high pick and one of their talented young receivers and they felt confident that they could put together a package to move the needle for Seattle, but Josina Anderson tweeted on Wednesday night that a team is willing to give at least a third round pick for him… hhhhhmmmm.

I am here to tell you right now, that if all John Schneider hears from teams are third round picks and change for DK Metcalf, he will hang up the phone, and a disgruntled DK Metcalf will be playing ball in Seattle 2025. Seattle holds all of the leverage in this, and we have seen John get very stubborn before with players such as Earl Thomas wanting out. Seattle can walk back DK Metcalf in 2025, and they can franchise tag him in 2026, and even 2027, if they so desire.

But I don’t think deals will low ball for him. Like I said, there will be a market.

The teams who reportedly appear most interested are Green Bay, Buffalo, The Chargers, Vegas, Kansas City, and New England. Here are some interesting, off the top of my head trade ideas for each of these teams that could be doable.

Green Bay sends Pick 23 and WR Dontayvion Wicks. Seattle get a late first round pick and a young receiver with good physicality who could serve as the Robin to JSN’s Batman for a couple seasons left on a rookie contract. The Pack won’t find a better receiver in this draft at 23, so they better pony it up.

Buffalo sends Pick 62 and TE Dalton Kincaid. Seattle showed interest in Kincaid a couple drafts ago, and Klint Kubiak loves to use multiple tight ends in his scheme. Kincaid has the talent to be George Kittle-esque and Seattle can use free agency to find a stop gap starter opposite of JSN and use the draft to address the position again. A late second round pick added gets the deal done.

The LA Chargers send Pick 22 and WR Quentin Johnston. Johnston has been a bit of a disappointment of a first round pick, and they have Ladd McConkey to pair with DK. Johnston’s trade value wouldn’t be much if they go after DK, but he could have value in Seattle for a while as a second receiver to JSN in a run centric Shanahan scheme.

Vegas sends picks 37 and 73 and TE Michael Mayer to Seattle for DK Metcalf and Geno Smith. Okay, hang with me for a moment on this one. Pete Carroll loves both of these players, and I think Tom Brady probably has some appreciation for Geno Smith as well seeing the value of DK Metcalf. Vegas has two talented young tight ends on their roster and they have given Mayer an opportunity to seek out a trade. I don’t think the trade market would be much for Geno Smith, but Vegas could be the one team that would see more value in him, and maybe Vegas bites on this package. Seattle could pursue Sam Darnold in free agency and be prepared to pivot to Jimmy Garoppolo, if needed, and both veterans know the Kubiak offense. Seattle can also look to the draft. It is an interesting thought, if not wholly likely.

Kansas City sends picks 31 and 95. It is reported that Seattle’s asking price is a first and a third round pick and KC is willing to cough it up to get the deal done.

New England sends Pick 69 and DE Keion White. Seattle gets a high third round pick and a talented defensive lineman with a length, strength, and athleticism to rush from the edge and inside. This is how Seattle makes a good defensive line better, and he has two years remaining on his rookie contract before he needs to get paid. The draft pick isn’t exciting but White is, and this is the trade scenario out of this bunch would most excite me.

Anyhoo, these are just some spitball ideas for DK trades. I wouldn’t be shocked if more teams look to get into this mix. Again, this a bad free agent year for receivers and it isn’t a great class for them either. Therefore, I think it all lines up for a DK trade. It might takes several weeks, though, and it might even all the way up to draft night. We shall see.

Final Thoughts

I think it majorly blows that DK stole Wednesday away from Tyler Lockett. The move of leaking this trade request out there on that day was the ultimate impulsive younger brother thing to do to the do right thing older brother of Tyler Lockett. This is my feelings on it in a nutshell, and in a way it is fitting. Tyler was the epitome of solid in Seattle, and, at times, DK acted like a spoiled brat in games.

DK will forever be known as that dynamic Seattle athlete who casual fans will know because of his freakish size and physical traits, and yet, at the same time, he just never really fully lived up to all the hype. Some will blame the Seahawk organization for that, and others will the player. For me, I think blames lays both ways a bit. Pete Carroll could have down more to allow his coaches to be more creative with him, and DK could have done more to be a precision route runner and better team player, as well.

In a dating life analogy, DK, to me, comes across like a big strapping dude who’s physical dynamics sweep you off your feet, and you are like Madeline Kahn laying in after glow in the final act of Young Frankenstein, singing away like a lunatic. He’s a dude you get swept up with for a while, but then overtime, the novelty wears off when he doesn’t do enough of the little things right. Then you find yourself thinking about the short lawyer with a bald patch on the back of his head but the Summer house in the San Juans.

Tyler Lockett, on the other hand, that is the dude who maybe doesn’t immediately blow you away, but when you see how special he is, you fall deeply in love with, you take him to the alter, and you never let him go.. until you have to because of age and durability and everything else around football.. but really, you don’t let that guy go.

I will miss Tyler Lockett. I will miss his clutch moments in games, incredible sideline catches, and the sneaky ways he gets wide open deep down field on play action plays, and his underrated ability to catch passes in contested coverages.

Tyler Lockett was an incredibly talented NFL receiver in Seattle. Outsiders never saw it enough with him, but Seahawk fans did. He will always be universally loved here.

I don’t know how much more he has left in the tank as a player. He looked slower in 2024 than I have seen him, and I think each year, injuries have kinda been more of an issue for him. I don’t suspect he will get a big contract somewhere else, but I would like to see him end up on a team like Kansas City where I think a head coach like Andy Reid would see value in him, and he gets a shot at a ring. That’s my hope for him.

As for DK, if you want him Green Bay, Vegas, Buffalo, or KC, you better come with an offer that means it.

Go Hawks.

On Monday morning, less than two hours after I posted an article on this blog stating my desire for the Seattle Seahawks to move away from Ryan Grubb (and other matters I would love to see them address such as offensive line and the future at quarterback), they did just that. They canned Grubb.

I was elated with the news. I felt saw it coming for a while, and the only thing I found surprising was the amount of pushback with fans and some in the media. It was way more than I expected it to be, and I get it if you are a big time Husky fan who had a deep attachment to Grubb, but it clearly was not working with him here this year, and I have listed many reasons why.

Could have Grubb gotten better at his job in year two? Sure, it’s possible. It is also very possible that he wouldn’t have, and then suddenly you have a young head coach in Mike Macdonald potentially feeling the hot seat along with maybe GM John Schneider because the offense couldn’t connect with the defense enough for two years in a row.

So, I just wanted a couple days let dust settle before sharing my thoughts on the firing, and offering up some of my favorite potential candidates to replace Grubb. Here are my quick thoughts after the firing, and then my dudes that I really dig for this gig.

Firstly, firing Grubb was absolutely the right thing for Mike Macdonald to do. It had been painfully obvious throughout the course of the season that Grubb and Macdonald did not see eye to eye on how the offense should function. It is not that Ryan Grubb is a bad coach, it is that Grubb proved bad for what Macdonald wanted, and needed of this team.

There are now some very strong implications that Macdonald had numerous talks with Grubb after games that were squandered by the offense (Giants, Packers, Vikings, etc) about how game management was handled, run to pass ratios were lopsided, and yet Grubb could never seem to get the memo from his boss outside of one game in Arizona where the offense looked like it had a functional balanced plan of attack. It is also kinda now out in the open that Macdonald had to get his more NFL experienced coaches on the staff to tutor Grubb on how NFL defenses and offenses work.

Imagine being the passing coordinator having to explain to the person who is your boss in charge of the offense what NFL defenses do in the red zones against NFL offenses that college defenses don’t do. Yikes.

I have seen reactions from fans and some folks on podcasts and radio waves in Seattle that this firing was unfair to Grubb, and he deserved another chance in 2025. Okay, then. To that, I ask why.

Why does Mike Macdonald owe Ryan Grubb a second chance when Grubb had seventeen games in a NFL season to get on the same page with his boss and he failed to consistently do so?

If you think it is unfair for Ryan Grubb to be given the boot, how come you don’t think it would be unfair for Mike Macdonald to have to work with him again for another season?

Where is your allegiance in this?

Do you think he needed another shot simply because you are a big time Husky fan such as Dave Mahler on Sports Radio KJR and his former Husky QB buddy Hugh Millen?

Did you have high visions of grandeur that your Husky fandom would marry with your Seahawk fandom with Grubb play calling here?

Or is it that simply are you a bigger bleeding heart than you are a football fan, and morally you just find this firing super unfair?

None of these questions are an attack on anyone who hated this decision from the Seahawks, by the way. They are just meant to cut to the source of why there was so much outcry over the decision.

The Seattle Seahawks narrowly missed the playoffs this year because the offense was imbalanced and not nearly as complimentary to the defense as Mike Macdonald would have preferred it to be. It was not connected to Macdonald’s defense, on any level, and Macdonald wasn’t really asking that much from Grubb to bend a bit more to a balanced approach.

And who says that Macdonald did not give Grubb ample chances through the course of the season to correct course?

By way of SI writer Corbin Smith, it sounds like Macdonald had many talks with Grubb to adjust his offense more to the his will, and Grubb just failed to do it, almost stubbornly so. If your boss requests you to do things a certain way, and you routinely fail to adapt, you do not deserve to keep your job. This is how the business world works and why should the high profile world of the NFL be any different?

Ryan Grubb has made millions of dollars playing calling in college and now in the NFL. I am pretty sure he is not destined to have to now live out of an old RV parked across from a Safeway in Ballard while he works a mail route for sixteen hours a day.

I kinda think he will be alright in this, and will probably land on his feet just fine coaching again. He could return to college as a coordinator again. He could also stay in the league as a potential pass game coordinator which maybe he should do.

So, yeah, I don’t really feel to the need to rehash all of my reasons why I felt it was time to move on from Grubb. I don’t feel like the state of the offensive line was a big enough excuse to defend him, as there were many examples in games where the line showed better run blocking abilities than it did pass blocking.

If anything the state of the line should be seen as a bigger reason why Grubb’s play calling needed to go. So maybe don’t listen so much to former Husky Hugh Millen railing on the radio about how John Schneider is washed up and failed Ryan Grubb with offensive line talent, and maybe listen more to former NFL offensive linemen Mike Schlereth and Ray Roberts when they say the Grubb just didn’t do enough to put his offensive linemen in better situations to succeed.

What I believe is most important for Mike Macdonald moving forward his to pair himself with a smart offensive play caller who really understands NFL football, and who will be perfectly aligned with what Macdonald wants this team to be in terms of physicality and connectedness. Listening to the way Macdonald described his ideal offense recently, being able to be physical running the ball, getting the ball out fast to playmakers in space does make me think of the west coast offenses deployed by the McVay/Shanahan schemes of today, and it also made me think of a few other offenses out there, as well.

The one commonality I have with all my preferred candidates is that they are all coaches who have been quarterbacks. At the end of the day, I think it is just so much of an important advantage to get someone play calling who sees the game through the lens of a quarterback whether it is pass plays or run schemes. I think this is especially important if the head coach is a defensive minded one such as Macdonald. Someone high up on this staff needs to see the bigger picture from a quarterback’s view. Therefore, everyone on this list is going to have that common thread.

So, that said, moving forward, here is the list of candidates for the Seattle Seahawk offensive coordinator gig that I really like a lot for this team right now. For each one, I will go over the pros and cons, and likelihoods. Maybe at the end of this exercise, we will have a couple really good and likely candidates narrowed down.

Frank Reich

When I started thinking of Grubb replacements about a month ago when I felt it was more likely that he was going to be one and done here, Frank Reich was the first coach out there who came to mind. He coached top ten defenses in Philadelphia and Indianapolis that were more run centric versions of the west coast offense, and I just liked the idea that maybe he would return to coaching as a coordinator again instead of being a head coach after his last two stints.

The pros of hiring Reich are very obvious. He has been around pro football for over three decades both as a backup quarterback and a coach. He has worked great with a variety of quarterbacks, and gotten high results. He coached an incredibly dynamic Super Bowl winning offense in Philly six years ago, and had a good offense going for a while in Indy for a while as a head coach. He is also a very even keel mature dude who, in addition to Leslie Frazier, can offer wisdom and insight for what is still a young head coach in Macdonald. Perhaps most important, his offenses have always been tough physical running ones. Also, players seem to really like him a lot. He’s very genuine, and that is what Mike Macdonald is, as well.

On the surface, I can think of very little cons of hiring Reich should he decide that he wants to get back into coaching as a coordinator again. My question would be whether he still has the juice and fire for it, or whether at age 63, he would only be interested in giving coaching another go as a head coach again, if there was an opportunity for it. He’s older, he’s made a lot of money as a head coach twice, and he has won a ring as a coordinator. Maybe he is good to walk away from coaching and pursue other aspects of life, but if he does have the zest for running a professional offense again, I would absolutely love this hire.

Doug Pederson

Personally, I would be shocked if Doug Pederson decided that he wanted to be an OC again after all of his years being a head coach and winning a Super Bowl as one, but if he did, and wanted the gig up here, I would be pretty jacked up about his hiring. I just don’t see this as very likely. I would have to think that at age 56, after this dumb firing in super dysfunctional Jacksonville, he could take a year off, and be a candidate again with another vacancy. Maybe the Arizona job opens up, or Dallas, or Miami, or Tennessee.

I have a bit of a personal connection with Pederson. We were both Ferndale boys and he worked for a spell on my dad’s farm when we were in high school. On a personal level, it would be awesome if my old high school quarterback became the Seahawk OC, and as I knew him from way back then, he was a pretty big Seahawk fan. So, because of this, I cannot fully rule out this idea. He might dig moving back to PNW with the pressure off from being a HC and just call plays again.

The pros of Pederson being the next Seahawk OC are that he is from this area and his success with the Seahawks would likely matter to him greatly, he has been around the league for decades as a backup quarterback and coach at the highest levels, he’s a Super Bowl wining head coach, and he’s shown a pretty strong ability to be balanced on offense running the football. He is another guy who players tend to like, and could offer a wealth of insight and wisdom to the much younger Macdonald.

I can think of very little cons to hiring Doug Pederson. The only thing I can think of is just how exhausted he looked this last season in Jacksonville. If I were him, I would take another year off and really decide in that time if coaching is something that I would want to continue with, or whether I want to enjoy life was all the millions that I have made, and the fact that I won a title and never need to do it again. That’s what I think he will do. I think he takes this year off in 2025 to decide if coaching is still something for him.

Tee Martin

Tee Martin is a guy who I didn’t think about initially when I thought maybe they would move on from Grubb, but he is a name that I am seeing mentioned a lot. In case you are unaware, he is the current quarterbacks coach in Baltimore working with the greatest quarterback in the game in Lamar Jackson. I gotta admit it, I dig the idea of Martin a lot in Seattle, and let me explain.

There are huge pros to hiring Tee Martin. He is from Baltimore, knows Macdonald really well, and would probably know exactly what Macdonald means when describing his ideal offense. He has spent years in the league as a backup quarterback and a coach, and he has coordinating experience from his days at USC play calling for Sam Darnold. In fact, if the Seahawks wanted to pursue Darnold in the offseason, having Martin here as the OC could be a big selling factor. Martin can be viewed as responsible for transforming Lamar Jackson into a more complete quarterback capable of beating you as easily from the pocket as he is as a runner, and Lamar absolutely loves Tee Martin.

I cannot find any cons at about about bringing in Martin outside of the fact that he is only ever coordinated in college, but that doesn’t concern me because he has been around the league for six years as an assistant and he spent six years in the league as a backup quarterback. I think it is safe to say the Martin probably knows NFL football pretty well. Right now, I rate Tee Martin as one of the most likely coaches out there to land this gig. It makes that much sense.

Josh McCown

This is the guy who I think he getting a lot of buzz amongst the fans and other bloggers who hover around the Seattle Seahawks. He is the quarterback coach in Minnesota where we have seen Sam Darnold resurrect his career this year in ways in which nobody saw coming. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has a track record out of getting great results out of quarterbacks in his system from his time spent in Los Angeles with Sean McVay, and his time currently in Minnie, but I think it is fair to wonder how much of Darnold’s success this year is also due to McCown who spent 18 years in the league as a quarterback on 13 different teams giving him insight and pointers on how to elevate his game.

The pros to bring McCown are very obvious. Look what he has done with Darnold this year in his one year as the quarterback coach of the Vikings. Throw out the last game played against the Lions, and there has been a significant case for Sam Darnold being the MVP of the league this year much less Comeback Player. Should Seattle have a deep interest in bringing Darnold here to become the next franchise quarterback, then landing McCown would make all the sense in the world. The same would be very much equal if they wanted to instead trade for JJ McCarthy. It can also be said the if Seattle likes the offense the Pederson and Reich ran in Philadelphia a number of years ago, McCown was in that offense as a backup and therefore, would be pretty good familiarity.

The biggest con with hiring McCown as the OC would be that he has simply never done it before. That might not be a super big deal though because his familiarity with the league spans 18 years as a quarterback who has had to learn 13 different systems, and backup quarterbacks have a tendency of transitioning well to coordinating. It is very possible that McCown could interview with Macdonald and have a great grasp on what exact offense he wants for the Seahawks.

Another con for hiring McCown is that he could simply be such a hot coaching commodity that Macdonald loses him in a year or two for a head coaching gig, and we are left searching for candidates again in 2026 or 2027, but perhaps that would also probably be a good problem to have because that means that 2025 was that successful for the team.

Right now, I would say the hype for Josh McCown is super intriguing. Like Martin, I wouldn’t be surprised if he is one of the few coaches out there that are high on Macdonald’s list. We shall see.

Tanner Engstrand

This guy interviewed for the OC job last year in Seattle after Macdonald got hired, and seemingly lost out to Ryan Grubb. Given the fact that he is the pass game coordinator for the Detroit Lions, the team with the best offense in football right now, and a team that plays offense exactly like Macdonald’s describes his ideal offense playing, it is fair to imagine Seattle circling back to this guy.

The pros are that he is the pass coordinator for a quarterback in Jared Goff who comps pretty favorably to Geno Smith, he is a coach from the Jim Harbaugh tree where Macdonald partly springs from, and therefore it is probably safe to assume that he will be naturally more aligned with a physical running offense that Macdonald likely prefers. He is a former college quarterback who has a position coach for both quarterbacks and running backs. He has offensive coordinator experience from a brief stint in the XFL.

I can’t think of many cons about this guy outside of the fact that he interviewed for OC gigs last year with New England and Seattle and landed neither, but in terms of Seattle, I kinda have a sneaking suspicion that John Schneider was super in on Ryan Grubb becoming the coordinator here and with all things equal in interviews between Engstrand and Grubb, Macdonald got more swayed to take a shot with the candidate that the GM was pushing for, but that is just my own wild speculation. It could also be that maybe Engstrand wasn’t seriously interested in this gig thinking he could stick around longer in Detroit and wait for their OC Ben Johnson to leave and he would take over. With some rumblings out there now that Johnson is no longer desiring being a head coach and maybe wants to just continue on in Detroit play calling, Engstrand will feel a stronger need to move on for advancement elsewhere, and Seattle can come calling again.

On the surface, I like him as a candidate for the Seahawks. It is exciting to think of someone coming here and building an offense here that plays like the one in Detroit; tough, grinding run blocking that wears teams down, and builds lethal play action pass plays off of it. It is just such ultimate big boy football, and Seattle’s offense has very similar skill players to what the Lions have. For these reasons, I have to have Engstrand on this list.

Marcus Brady

Marcus Brady is a guy who I heard mentioned on a podcast the other day that really got my ears perked up when I heard the hosts discussing, and that led me to dig around a bit on the internet. First off, he was a quarterback who played small college ball in California and he had to venture up into Canada to spend a bunch of years playing in the CFL, and then he spent time coaching up there before landing coaching gigs in the NFL. In the NFL, he landed on the Indianapolis Colts coaching staff under Frank Reich where he worked as a quarterbacks coach, and eventually he became their offensive coordinator. Today, he is the pass game coordinator for Jim Harbaugh with the Chargers.

The pros with Brady are that he has spent time as an offensive coordinator in the CFL and the NFL, and he is a guy that Jim Harbaugh who is a mentor to Mike Macdonald thinks pretty highly about. You can chuckle about all the CFL background but Canadian football actually produces a lot of high end passing concepts, and has for decades. Current NFL offensive coaches have spent time studying their league. Brady has spent time working for both Reich and Harbaugh who are two offensive coaches known to be heavy leaners in the run game. This year under Harbaugh, the Chargers quietly had one of the more efficient offenses in the league. Justin Herbert threw 23 touchdowns and ONLY 3 INTERCEPTIONS. If what Macdonald craves most is a balanced offense that is physical in the run, and doesn’t make many mistakes, then I would imagine Marcus Brady is a very likely person to be interviewed here.

What are the cons and drawbacks and concerns with Brady? I don’t know. His stint as the OC in Indianapolis only last a year and a half as he was fired mid season in 2022 when Frank Reich was impulsively let go by Jim Irsay. His lone full year as OC there was when they replaced Phillip Rivers with Carson Wentz, and Wentz sucked, and they narrowly missed the playoffs after going 11-5 the year before. I guess on the surface, one could look at his stint there, and have a meh attitude about it.

I just think there is potentially something very interesting about this guy. After he was let go in Indy, he joined the Philly staff as an offensive consultant, and then he was highly sought after by Harbaugh in LA. Harbaugh, as much of a whack job as he can kinda come across as, is also sort of an idiot savant as a coach, and has a very good eye for coaching talent. The Chargers were a really well coached team this year, and Herbert was crazy efficient with the football. Something tells me that Brady could be a hot name for Seattle given what it feels like Macdonald wants. I kinda like him a lot. He’s an idea that is growing on me.

In Summary

These are the dudes out there externally that get me excited most for the Seattle Seahawks OC gig. I am sure that I left a lot of names out of other quality coaching candidates that folks are championing for. There is Klint Kubiak who is from the Shanahan school down in New Orleans that people seem to dig. Some people might think Mike Kafka with the Giants who Seattle was interested in as a head coach last year could be a great candidate because Andy Reid really loves him as a coach and so does Patrick Mahomes. I have seen some in the Seahawks media championing a bit for the return of Brian Schottenheimer who had Seattle as a top ten offense here for a while with Russell Wilson. I have seen some odd suggestions for Jon Gruden to be a consideration.

In the end, I think Seattle has to be really careful about getting this fit right for Macdonald. Is Mike Macdonald going to want someone from the Andy Reid or MacVay/Shanahan branches, or does he just want a Harbaugh guy who speaks his football love language?

Macdonald wants physical football here, and ball control. He wants to shrink the game and make things easier on his vaunted defense. That sounds a heck of a lot like Harbaugh football, both Harbaugh brothers, and his other old boss John Harbaugh is an Andy Reid guy. Frank Reich and Doug Pederson are Reid coaches.

That is why I kinda put Reich and Pederson at the very top of my list. They are guys sharing similar DNA with John Harbaugh. Both of them long time former NFL backup quarterbacks, both of them huge believers in the run game, highly successful coordinators and head coaches. Both of them currently out of the league right now and maybe wondering if there is a way back in.

A huge part of me believes that if either would genuinely consider the OC gig here, whether that could be a game changer for this franchise that we have not felt for over ten years. To pair the bright young defensive mind with Mike Macdonald with a sharp offensive mind in someone a couple decades older who has absolutely been there and done it all at super high levels that he can fully trust to run the offense to the point where he just does not need to think about much of it at all?

Yeah, sign me right up for that idea.

Conversely, all these other candidates super intrigue me, as well. If they can’t convince either former head coach to sniff out this gig here (very possible), the I really kinda think that Tee Martin, Josh McCown, Tanner Engstrand, and Markus Brady are all very likely candidates. Martin, Engstrand and Brady all have direct Harbaugh Brother tie ins to Macdonald, and Martin coached together with him.

McCown is just such an intriguing wildcard and a certain hot name in the coaching searches with what he has done with Sam Darnold this year. He might be a head coaching candidate very soon, depending on what the Vikings do in the playoffs. He has worked with Reich and Pederson, and other brilliant offensive minds. He could be a very strong lure for Darnold should the Viking quarterback be made available in free agency or trade, if Seattle wants him. He’s the biggest unknown in terms of a coordinator type, but something tells me that with long background as a quarterback, he will be well suited for the leap.

But at the end of the day, I think our guy may boil down to Tee Martin, Engstrand, and Marcus Brady. Unless behind close doors they really think in house Jake Peetz can be a serous candidate, I sorta think that this process may boil down to one of these three guys.

I would be down, but man would I ever love to see them land Reich or Pederson. I’m going to hang onto that until I have to let it go.

Go Hawks.

Through fifteen games this year, I have seen enough of the Seattle Seahawks under Mike Macdonald to know who and what they are. In many ways, I see a talented football team, not too far from the talented teams that have just beaten them in the last two weeks, and not really much less talented than the NFC West leading Los Angeles Rams.

They are rich at the skilled positions on offense. Jaxon Smith Njigba is an ascending star in this league. Ken Walker and DK Metcalf offer elite physical talents even if they are not wholly consistent as players. Zach Charbonnet, Tyler Lockett, Noah Fant, and maybe now even AJ Barner could probably flourish in several offenses in the league.

They have depth and talent on their defensive line. Their defensive tackles are stout run stoppers and they can rush the quarterback. Boye Mafe and Derick Hall can be pro bowl edge rushers together for years.

They have a good middle linebacker and talent in their secondary.

They have a capable veteran quarterback who can win them games, as he almost did it yesterday against a very good Viking defense.

They need to build up the interior of their offensive line this offseason. It is an absolute must. This, you would think, should be the priority number one for this team moving forward.

Or is it?

Hm..

Well, let me say that, as I sat through this game against the Vikings at Lumen Field watching Seattle drop yet another close winnable game, I reached a definitive conclusion about what is preventing these Seahawks from actually becoming the Vikings, Packers, and Rams. I don’t believe they have a quality NFL offensive coordinator, and I am now more than ready to move on from Ryan Grubb.

These are my feelings today, and they can certainly change if they go out on the road on Thursday Night Football and smoke the Bears in Chicago with an efficient offensive outing, and then they march down into LA on the following week, and upset the Rams on their home field in a similar manner. If this happens, I will probably fall victim to a blinding recency bias, and believe that Grubb is the man to continue with.

Right now, however, I do not believe he is the guy to pair with Mike Macdonald and his defense. I do not feel Grubb is up to coaching quality NFL offensive football. It isn’t just about a problematic offensive and erratic quarterback play. Too often we see receivers lining up illegally, and other piss poor procedures. They are a sloppy lot that oozes with talent, but they cannot consistently put it together, and I think that is solely a reflection of Ryan Grubb. Lack of sound fundamental details is a coaching issue.

But that is not the worst of it for me.

Grubb’s approach to the run game is killing my soul as a diehard Seattle Seahawk fan who knows full well the long traditional history of this being a running team in the scenic Pacific Northwest. They ran the snot out of the ball under a decade and a half of Pete Carroll, they ran it hard under pass happy Mike Holmgren, and in the 1980’s they were coached by a dude nicknamed Ground Chuck.

Seattle Seahawk football is about running the holy snot out of the football. This is who and what we are as a people as much as it is that people in Southern California surf, people in Russia drink vodka, and people in Canada drink beer and ice fish. People in the PNW watch run centric football. This is our birthright, and Ryan Grubb is pissing all over it.

When Mike Macdonald was hired last winter, the first thing he said when asked about what his vision was for this team was that he said he wants a tough program that plays hard, and runs the football. So, excuse me if I feel like Ryan Grubb is perhaps now the only person in the Pacific Northwest who doesn’t understand what this current head coach wants, and what the tradition of this team is all about.

I will also just say this again. I don’t want to hear another utterance about what their offensive line is right now, so zip it around me, they actually played surprisingly decent enough against a dominant Vikings defensive front. They just needed to, yet again, run the ball more.

If you have Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet in your backfield, and you cannot figure out ways to consistently and properly utilize their talents as running backs, then you do not belong coaching in this league, period. If Grubb cannot commit to this, he should go back to college and coach in the Big 12 where coordinators make millions of dollars chucking it all over the place against soft college defenses.

Running the football takes a commitment to it, and the easiest way to build consistency on even a porous offensive line is to get the five so-so guys building chemistry run blocking together. Find something you do well, and do it over and over again out of different formations that disguise it. Once you master that, add a new wrinkle, and then you got a couple fun cords to play a decent Ramones song on your guitar with. It is not rocket science, but it takes fucking discipline, and determination.

It is literally that simple. The more you run, the better your offensive line grows together, blocks together, and the more balanced and cohesive your offense then becomes. Simple as pie, and I honestly now miss the good old Schotty days of Seahawk football four years ago.

Let us just look at this Minnesota team that just came into Lumen Field and beat us.

The Minnesota Vikings are 13-2 right now, and they are playing without their starting left tackle, have similar pass blocking issues as Seattle does (it showed in this game, by the way), and yet Kevin O’Connell is very committed to his running attack (even if it is not prolific), and building play action off of it that Sam Darnold is executing at an impressive rate. He has paired this offensive approach with the wonders that Brian Flores is doing with their aggressive defense. Imagine what Seattle could be right now if Mike Macdonald was paired with a similar offensive mind.

Could Grubb morph into a similar play-caller?

Sure, I guess he could. I guess that I could also be discovered by a Hollywood filmmaker while I am mowing a parking strip, end up in the next Jurassic World movie being chased by a gigantic Allosaurus Maximus, but I am not going to hold my breath on that.

I think in his heart, Grubb would love to play call for vintage Payton Manning and Marvin Harrison and that stellar offensive line Manning had to work with in Indy. Grubb just lives for shotgun plays with loads of drop back passing, and just enough run to keep defenders honest.

As you step back and really take a big long look at this animal, it really is a stupid beast to look at, don’t you think?

The problem is that Geno Smith (bless his heart) is not Payton Manning, and this offensive line is not anything close to being geared towards pass blocking in that sort of chuck it all over the place scheme. Laken Tomlinson, Olu Oluwatimi, and Sataoa Laumea are all run blockers suited for run centric schemes. Geno Smith is, in many ways, an ideal play action quarterback.

If you want to run a Kevin Stefanski or Kyle Shanahan run centric offense, Geno is probably a very capable quarterback to game manage those sort of attacks, guiding his team towards the playoffs. If Seattle did move on from Geno in the offseason, and he ended up in Cleveland playing for Stefanski, I would honestly not be surprised if we saw them become a pretty decent playoff contending team there again.

But Grubb does not seem to have any designs to do any of this.

When he does start games with a run and play action approach, and it is effective, as was the case in this one, he quickly abandons the approach in the following series to dial up drop back shotgun passes. It is mind numbing how often this scenario has occurred this season.

This has happened far too often this season, and far too often, the results end in a three and out series that kills away any momentum previously gained by the offense. Far too often this places more pressure on Geno Smith to be perfect on the next series once the defense has sorta figured out what is coming. Honestly, it is not fair what he has been doing to Geno Smith.

Seattle had one game this year in Arizona a couple weeks back where they leaned into the run, stayed consistently with it, and Geno wonderfully game managed, and as a result, they played perfectly complimentary ball with their defense. After that game, it felt like Grubb had finally graduated into being a proper NFL coordinator, but then that ass-hatted game against Green Bay happened, and then this game was pissed away at home against the Vikings.

So, I am really kinda done with Ryan Grubb. Sorry Husky Fan person who thinks I am not giving him a fair shake, but I want Seattle to have an offensive approach that pairs well with a promising defense. I just do. That is what I am ready for moving in the 2025 offseason as it now feels more unlikely that Seattle will see the playoffs.

I fully get it if you want to blame Geno Smith for the terrible interception in the first half that led to Minnesota points, and the interception at the end that effectively killed any chance of a miracle come from behind finish. I will see that, and add that he also threw two other balls that should have been picked, and he could have easily had four interceptions on the afternoon, and we could have seen a more lopsided loss in result. Geno also took a terrible sack that brought us out of much needed field goal range in the closing minutes that could have tied the game and brought us to overtime. I will also just say, again, that I don’t think he was helped by Grubb’s play calling nearly enough as he should have been.

You can also blame DK Metcalf for a poorly ran route that led to Geno’s final INT. I will give you that. Seeing it live, it looked like Geno threw a dumbass pass into double coverage, but the replays I watched afterwards showed what was supposed to be a simple corner route to the sideline that DK decided not to break off on, for some inexplicable reason. Who the fuck even knows what that was about, maybe it is a sign of him growing frustrated in the offense and maybe no longer being the favored target with JSN coming on, but maybe you could also ask the question as to why JSN or Lockett wasn’t running that pattern in the first place.

You could also blame Byron Murphy for inadvertently grabbing Sam Darnold’s face mask on a sack that gave the Vikings new life during their go ahead drive. Sure, maybe that was a rookie mistake, but I feel like next year, perhaps with more NFL savvy, he makes the sack without grabbing the mask. So, really, lay off of Murphy for Christ’s sake.

You can blame Tre Brown for lining up offsides as a corner, which I don’t believe that I have even seen before in a game. WTF????

Speaking of cornerbacks, you can most certainly blame Riq Woolen for giving up the big time go ahead touchdown thrown to Justin Jefferson (although it sounds like he was expecting better help from the safety in a cover two look). There are some justified concerns about Woolen regressing that I think are warranted, and news that he was benched at the top of the game for breaking team rules doesn’t help his imagine these days. It is all currently a shame because he is such a physical talent, but at the end of the day, Seattle needs dependable players at key positions and not players oozing with potential but not living up to any of it enough.

So, yeah, there was a lot of slop in this game, and I suppose there will be those who will point directly towards rookie head coach Macdonald as the one chiefly responsible for it all. Go ahead and point there, if you need to do it. He is the head coach and ultimately the one in charge of the whole inconsistent ship.

But at the end of the day, I don’t know how any fan looks at this game, and the game a month ago against the Rams, the game last week against the Pack, and the gawd awful game against the Giants in early October, and not think that Ryan Grubb out thought common sense for the sake of throwing the mother fudging football. I just don’t.

So, yeah, maybe there are changes coming to this roster this offseason. Maybe Woolen isn’t a fit for what Macdonald needs at cornerback in his defense. Maybe DK could get dealt. Maybe they do move on from Geno Smith, instead of extending, and maybe the very quarterback we just saw play against them comes to Seattle through free agency this Spring and takes over.

None of any of this will matter, in my opinion, until they fix the offensive play-calling, and they invest more into the offensive line.

But really, fix the fudge-nugget-ed mother-fudging fudge-mudging play-calling.

Drafting a good offensive guard in round one next Spring, and signing a pro bowl center in free agency will not alleviate my concerns about this offense if the theme continues to be a pass happy Grubb offense in 2025. Unless Geno Smith suddenly does turn into Tom Brady or Peyton Manning next Fall, I would be bracing for more frustration as a Seahawk fan if this approach continues on.

So, please, Seattle. Don’t make me brace for that.

These are my thoughts, and feels. It is a shame that Seattle did not seize the day and pull off this upset win. Now, in order to make the playoffs, they will need to win in Chicago, have the Rams lose to the Cardinals this weekend, and then they will have to beat the Rams in ten days. It is what it is.

That said, merry Christmas, onto Chicago, and go Hawks!

Another week, and another victory for the Seattle Seahawks. In the event you haven’t noticed because you are too busy watching videos about people licking melted chocolate off of each other’s toes, wins are beginning to become a standard for Seattle. They are winners of four in the row, and are sitting atop a tight NFC West Division at 8-5.

A month ago, they lost a close game at home against the LA Rams, fell to 4-5, and it felt all but certain that their season would be lost. At that time, I started bracing for writing articles about whether or not Seattle should bench Geno Smith in favor of Sam Howell, whether they should trade DK Metcalf in the offseason, and whether or not they made the right coaching hire with Mike Macdonald. In hindsight, I am glad that I held off on all of those.

The other week, I asserted my deep belief in Macdonald, and it is now a belief that is only growing stronger. With this win against Arizona, a team that many national talking heads felt would win this rematch, I feel like Seattle has, indeed, found a coach who has the potential to be well ahead of the competition in terms or strategy, and execution.

Without using a bunch of football jargon, I just get a sense that Macdonald is figuring out with his defense how to match each opponent they play, and he will adjust scheme accordingly. It is fitting the he spent his early childhood in Boston watching the Patriots because the one head coach who I would now comp him to is Bill Belichick minus the grumpy demeanor.

In terms of example, against Arizona, Macdonald’s D seems to have very detailed plan for how to limit Kyler Murray. His rush plan for using his defensive ends to not allow Murray to do his Sonic The Hedgehog type things on the perimeters should be studied by others. Last week, against Aaron Rodgers, he found ways to take away what Rodgers prefers to do as a passer. A few weeks ago, against the 49ers, he seemed to be well inside Kyle Shanahan’s run game playbook.

I did not watch this game against the Cardinals, but I caught a key moments version of it afterwards. I would have loved to have seen it in its entirety, but I had a very special event to attend. So, for what it is worth here is my overriding thought about this game, and moving forward with the Seahawks this year in the final month of games.

It is entirely okay for you to start getting excited about this team now. I give you permission.

I get it if you are reluctant to climb on board, and you need to see more. They still have to play the Rams again, and also have a couple tough games left at home against the Packers, and Vikings.

While it frustrates me a bit why there seems to be some continued fan apathy for this team, and I want to point out that Seattle is only one of the few teams in the league that continually play meaningful football in December for well over a decade now, I also sorta get it. I think this is a fanbase that has gotten spoiled, and simply being competitive for the playoffs isn’t enough. Also, Seattle doesn’t have a marquee quarterback who will move a lot of needles for the average fan as some other teams have, and while I think there are a handful of teams who would probably take Geno Smith right now, a decade of Russell Wilson has also spoiled this fanbase.

Still, I think it is now time for the fair weather folks to climb back on board with this club, and just enjoy what they have been able to do this last month, and how they might finish this season. Over the past month, they beat a 49er team who was in the Super Bowl last year and just murdered the Bears, they swept the improved Arizona Cardinals, and they found a way to win on the road against the Jets despite shitting all over themselves on special teams. A year ago, they would have lost that game in New Jersey, badly.

Seattle may not win the division this year. They have a tougher final stretch of games in front of them than the Rams do, and it feels possible that they will have to beat the Rams down in LA at the end of the season in order to secure the division. While the Rams do not have Aaron Donald anymore, they still have Matthew Stafford and all those fancy weapons that Sean McVay loves to use. Personally, though, with the way Seattle is now playing, I cannot wait for this matchup to close the season, and I cannot wait for future seasons to come.

I think Seattle is trending very positively, on the whole. I’m getting really excited now, and I invite you to join the party.

In this game against Arizona, the Seattle offensive line felt more settled it, finally, and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb felt more dialed into his playbook. Defenses have adjusted to his tendencies of throwing deep over the past month, offering for two deep shell looks, and in this game against the Cardinals, Grubb finally got Seattle successfully countering it with a strong commitment to the run and using runners as receivers in the flats. He had this offense ready to play against a good run stopping AZ defense that also came in ready to limit DK Metcalf. He got coordinated counter runs going, and it was glorious. Now he has given defensive coordinators something else to think about in terms of targeting any of his potential tendencies.

It is imperative for the wellness of this franchise that Grubb and his offensive line coach Scott Huff grow to how NFL defenses play against them as opposed to what they saw in college at UW, and that they can be answers to the riddle of making this team great again instead of being two coaches that they will need to replace. The most important thing in this decisive win against AZ is that they seem to be stepping up as coaches, and this is HUGE for this team moving forward.

In all of that, I also love the way Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh ran decisively and hard. This was an important game for Charbonnet to answer the call with Ken Walker down, and it is really encouraging that he delivered as a runner and receiver. At UW, Grubb had a physical playmaking runner in Dillion Johnson that he leaned on when he needed to run, and I think Charbonnet fits that mold. I want to see more of it during this last stretch of games.

Many fans have been bemoaning Charbonnet, but I was excited to see him get this start. I haven’t been fully happy with Ken Walker, lately. I know K9 has big play potential, but I have just felt for a while that he wasn’t attacking holes very hard, and had become more indecisive as a runner. Perhaps it is because he hasn’t been healthy, and fans can certainly blame a poor offensive line, but sometimes, you just got to hit it as a runner, and this had felt less of a thing for his willingness to do, perhaps.

Enter Charbonnet and McIntosh, and rookie sixth round steel Sataoa Laumea. I get it if Charbonnet is your player of the game, but for my money, it is Laumea at right guard who offered solid pass protection, and athleticism kicking out on counter runs, stoning linebackers and defensive ends.

After this game against Arizona, I want to see Charbonnet and McIntosh more involved. I want to turn on the heat behind K9. My hope is that K9 will look at the tape of this game, and he will take it to heart to mimic their efforts. K9 is, by far, the most physically talented runner on this team, but in a league full of tough defenses, offenses need runners willing to be physical, especially with spotty offensive lines.

Charbonnet and McIntosh feel like those type of guys now that this offensive line is settling in better with its blocking scheme. Seattle will need this to continue for the next four games. If it does, I do think that they can win this division, and if K9 gets healthy enough, and takes to heart some hard decisive running on his own, then watch out. Seattle could be the surprise team of the league should they make the playoffs.

In fact, after this game, I think Seattle can beat any team left on their schedule. I absolutely believe they can. Why not?

Geno Smith is playing more efficient and protective with the ball, lately, and being a good game manager with these perimeter weapons is a more important secret sauce than any hero ball that he might have been plagued with a month ago. Sataoa Laumea feels like a guy who is the answer at right guard instead of the fill in. JSN continues to prove to be an ascending wide receiver. Big Cat Williams and others feel dominant on the defensive line, and Seattle is now getting very solid linebacker play to go along with their deep secondary. For as good as Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen are as corners, and Coby Bryant and Jullian Love feel as safeties, Ernest Jones and Tyrice Knight are becoming a dynamic linebacking duo together.

Yeah, man. Seattle can do some damage.

I am looking more forward to these remaining four games that I can remember in recent years, and this is still with a belief that Seattle is still likely another season or two away from being a true contender.

So, I will just say that maybe now more fans should start jumping on board. Go ahead. Go for the plunge of positivity. What is the worst that can happen?

A month ago, Mike Macdonald got this defense turned around, and now maybe after this game against the Cards, Grubb is finally getting the offense settled back in. I am excited to see if that can be the case. I think it could be!

I am not expecting perfection. I don’t need all these games to be neat and tidy. I just really want to see them land at least a couple more wins, and I think that they can.

Do you?

Go Hawks.

Sometimes, my homer tendencies get the better of me. Actually, this happens quite a bit. As much as I try to safe guard against this, my eternal optimism about the Seattle Seahawks can lead me to some pretty ridiculous assertions.

For example, heading into this Monday Night Football game in Detroit, I had myself convinced that, even though we were minus what was essentially our starting defensive line, we were going to win this game. I tried to bury these thoughts deep inside me, but a couple hours before kickoff, I started messaging friends that I thought we were winning this game.

I thought Geno Smith was going to be a hot hand at quarterback (he was).

I thought Ken Walker was going to have a night, as well (he did).

I thought DK Metcalf was also going to show up big (he mostly did).

I thought we were going to cool down hot pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson (we did that).

I thought the defense minus Big Cat Williams, Boye Mafe, Byron Murphy II, and Uchenna Nwuso, and Jerome Baker was going to be fine (holy fuck balls was I ever wrong about that).

I’m not going to cry over spilled milk about this game. The Detroit Lions are a very good football team, and the nucleus of them has been growing together for a few years now. They are the fourth favored NFL team to win the Super Bowl this year by Vegas odds. They have good coaches, a good veteran quarterback, playmakers, and a special player on defense who poses a problem every Sunday. Losing 29-42 to this team on the road without five of your best players on defense is not the end of the world for what Seattle can positively be this year.

In fact, in some ways, I found things in this loss pretty damn encouraging.

For the first time this season, I felt Ryan Grubb’s playbook really open up, and as Seattle got themselves into a deep hole in the first half, I thought Geno Smith executed this offense really well fighting from behind. They were able to make it a competitive game heading into the fourth quarter, which considering the big point deficit, was impressive.

I know some people are going to judge Geno’s stat line in this one, and note that he only threw one touchdown and had a questionable pick in the end, but I felt Geno Smith played really, really well under the circumstances of having no defense stepping up to stop Jared Goff and company. He was in full command of every play, played valiant under pressure, and was completely surgical spreading the ball around, and attacking a good defense. There were other stars on offense, though.

The power trio of DK, JSN, and Tyler Lockett at receiver had themselves a game, but for my money, with K9 back in this offense, you could sense his unique cheat code potential as an explosive runner and receiver. I think he is the true X factor for Grubb’s play calling moving forward, and I really, really truly hope he stays healthy enough this season because we are about to have tons of fun watching him play.

You could also feel other young players like Zach Charbonnet, Jake Bobo, rookie tight end AJ Barner, and Laviska Shenault find themselves making plays, as well. Seattle is ripe with talent at the offensive skill positions, and for the first time this season, we witnessed the full quality of their depth, and it was against a good team. This is encouraging.

I thought the offensive line started to gel better in this game. They’re still a work in progress, but I felt their progress. Stone Forysthe was constantly attacked by Aidan Hutchinson, and he held him in check. Anthony Bradford played a clean game. Rookie Christian Haynes was shown putting Hutch on his ass on Ford Field in one pass blocking play.

Circling back to Seahawk QB1, I get the sense from Geno Smith that there is going to be a game around the corner where he’s due to throw about four or five touchdowns. Right now, he has only thrown one touchdown per game, and he’s also had four interceptions against him. It’s a weird stat line considering how good he has looked, but this game against the Lions made me think that this offense is right on the cusp of seeing him explode as a passer.

A few things got in the way for him, and the offense in Detroit. Mainly, the fucking refs got in the way.

In my opinion, this was one of the worst lopsided officiated games going against Seattle that I have seen in some time. The botched two point conversion that DK got that would have made it a six point game. The bogus interference call against Tyler Lockett the negated a crucial first down, my god did that ever suck dog dung. The defensive pass interference no call with DK Metcalf in the end zone. All of this took crucial points off of the board for Seattle that they desperately needed in the end.

But while the refs clearly interfered with Seattle’s ability to pull off an improbable upset, Seattle, themselves, often could not get out of their own way. This is the big step back for this team that now falls on Mike Macdonald and his coaches to correct.

DK Metcalf, as brilliant as he was in moments, needed to not fumble the ball heading towards the red zone early in the first half while fighting through contact against multiple defenders trying to take him down and strip out the ball. I appreciate his fight, and DK critics can eat my dirty landscaping socks, but he needs to protect that damn football at all costs.

Devon Witherspoon needed to wrap up David Montgomery in the backfield, instead of trying to throw his 180 pound body at a 220 running back for a knockout blow. I don’t think he had his best game in coverage, either, as he later found himself getting twisted a round on a big slant pass downfield, and gave up an easy touchdown.

This defense was minus it’s two best interior pass rushers, and two best edge rushers, it’s starting WILL linebacker, and free safety when Julian Love got knocked out of the game, and this made things very hard on the day. However, under these circumstances, you need your best players playing their best ball, not their worst. Spoon is probably the best player on defense, and he needed to play this one like it.

He’s young, talented, and I think a pretty serious minded football player. Expect him to bounce back big this Sunday against the Giants. I think this entire defense will.

On one positive plus side of a dismal night of defense, it was cool seeing second year edge rusher Derick Hall collect his fourth sack in four games. I think there is a talented young nucleus brewing up front with Hall, Boye Mafe, and Byron Murphy, and this has me very excited about the future of this team. This is what we want to see in the early portions of the Macdonald era.

So, in the end, I am not really all that upset about this loss. I like how this offense stepped up its game substantially, and I think the mistakes made on defense are largely correctable.

Mike Macdonald said it himself postgame. The proper angles and good tackling that the back end of this defense had demonstrated for the first three games of the year did not show up in Detroit, and they intend to work on it this week.

Here is my vibe on this moving forward. If the New York Giants thought this Sunday was going to be a good time to venture into Lumen Field to catch the Seattle Seahawks off guard, I think they’re pretty much going to be royally hosed now.

This Sunday is going to be Mike Macdonald’s first real get right game to get his defenders refocused on the fundamentals. They are going to be extremely motivated to correct coarse against the Giants with San Francisco looming next Thursday for them.

But as for Ryan Grubb and what he’s got cooking with Geno and K9 now?

Yeah, I am really exciting about seeing where all that might go. I am perfectly willing to put this game in Detroit away fast for what I think might be down the horizon.

Go Hawks

Here are a few wishlist items I was hoping I would see from the Seattle Seahawks as they were to defend their home turf against a Tua-less Miami Dolphins football team.

I needed to see a dominant defensive effort against an offense playing with a backup quarterback.

Check.

I needed to see continued efficient quarterback play from Geno Smith.

Check, again.

I wanted to see better running production from backup Zach Charbonnet.

Yet, another check.

I needed to see some semblance of a lopsided victory for Seattle in front of the Twelves.

Checkmate.

On the surface, Seattle pretty much gave me the type of victory that I was hoping for, are now 3-0, and solidly in first place in their division. Yet, at the same time, they did not make this an easy affair for me.

It was fitting that the refs tossed as many yellow flags in the air on the same day that the Seattle Seahawks organization decided to honor girl athletes playing flag football throughout the region. If I were to write a feature film comedy centered around a NFL franchise, I might be inspired to use this game as inspiration for a game played in the storyline.

I have been watching the Seattle Seahawks regularly for over forty years of my life. Since 1983, I have watched almost every game. I cannot remember a more stress inducing blowout victory in favor of the Seahawks than this one against the hapless Miami Dolphins on this date of September 22nd, 2024. Holy fucking flag fest.

I get it that Seattle has a banged up offensive line, and is missing their most explosive offensive weapon who isn’t DK Metcalf in Ken Walker, but holy crap-fest was this ever a hard watch throughout most of the game. Seattle played a great first quarter of football, and then for the next two and a half quarters, they could not stop crapping all over themselves, offensively.

They played such an offensive slop fest through much of this game that it could have easily led to a loss, if Miami had a quality starting quarterback playing for them. Fortunately, they did not, and the end result was a box score that showed a good old fashioned ass whooping against an inferior opponent, which is something, for sure.

Seattle’s revamped defense played against a backup quarterback, and they whooped his ass all over the field, knocked him out, and then they whooped up on the backup to the backup. They effectively did what any quality defense would and should do, and that is definitely a thing worth praising.

In this regard, I think we should absolutely celebrate Seattle, and their new defensive minded head coach for getting the Seahawk defense to play at a high enough level to make this a very difficult day for an explosive Miami offense. To be honest, even without Tua Tagovailoa, I expected Mike McDaniel to still cook up an explosive enough of an offense attack against Mike Macdonald’s defense to make this an interesting match. In fact, in days leading up to kick off, I was anticipating Seattle with Geno Smith winning a shootout.

But in the end, our Coach Mike handily beat their Coach Mike, and we won the Coach Mike Battle with a punishing defense. In an ideal football world, this is the way that I prefer winning, so I guess I should be happy.

In many ways, I am damn happy about this style of victory. Seattle, despite the constant offensive line screw ups, was still the much more explosive offense, and they were, by far, the more intimidating defense on the field.

But they got so much more work to do, if they want to be a real contender this year, which is what I would really like them to be. It all centers around figuring out their offensive line. They must get better up front on offense moving forward.

As much as it is great to soak in a lopsided victory for your favorite team, I’m supremely annoyed that, within the stat sheets, Geno Smith tossed two picks and only one touchdown in what was otherwise another very efficient outing for him. Both picks involved instant pressure up the middle, and I don’t believe there was much more he could have done outside of eating a sack.

Seattle’s guard play is currently trending towards crisis status, and if they want to be the offense that they are capable of, something needs to radically change right now. If they do not have the players on the roster capable of playing better, I highly encourage an aggressive approach from the front office to bring someone in who will.

Ryan Grubb’s offense is predicated on an aggressive mindset, but the amount of inside pressure Seattle’s guards are giving up is hair-pulling-ly frustrating, on top of their penalties. This offense, as he would like to call it, is not sustainable playing like this.

At this rate, Anthony Bradford is becoming the most unpopular Seattle offensive lineman since Germain Ifedi ever wore an Action Green uniform. Something has to change. Either Grubb opts for more of a conservative ball control attack, or his interior linemen suddenly figure out how to play better within this aggressive passing attack, or this team does something bold to shake up its starting offensive line for the better.

At the very least, I would say let’s give rookie Christian Haynes more of a chance to compete with Bradford because, at the very least, he’s a badass run blocker. The truth of the matter, however, is that I feel destined over the next few weeks to write about how much I want John Schneider to trade for a quality guard.

I mean, seriously, if the Dallas Cowboys are now in free fall, and they wouldn’t mind a day two draft pick from us, I wouldn’t mind taking right guard Zach Martin off of their hands for them. They aren’t going to be able to keep that whole team together anyways after paying Dak and CeeDee.

This is kinda what I want Seattle to do moving forward. I feel like, with Geno Smith, they got the quarterback Grubb needs to get to the whole of his playbook, and have it executed properly. I think they are blessed with all sorts of weapons on offense, but they need a functional offensive line. This should be the main agenda for John Schneider now that this team is 3-0 to start the season.

Mike Macdonald’s defense is starting to gel. You can feel it. Players like Big Cat Williams, Jarran Reed, Boye Mafe, Derick Hall, Tyrel Dodson, Riq Woolen, Julian Love, Rayshawn Jenkins, Byron Murphy, Spoon, and many others are starting to feel each other. Through three weeks now, you can feel the dynamic qualities of these guys meshing together, and they now have Uchenna Nwosu set to return. Buy stock in this Seahawk defense.

This offense, also, is close to being special, if they can just sort out of their offensive line. There is no reason why they should not be aggressive making this happen.

Simply put, they should show Seattle fans, once again, that they are not akin to the Seattle Mariners resting on laurels, but are the Seahawks willing to be aggressive to get over the top. Nobody will fault them for sending a high draft pick to a struggling team who will be sellers before the trade deadline, if that player is a quality guard.

I also do not care if their move is to simply sign some cagey older vet out there like Duane Brown to come in and play guard, but I need to see these sort of moves, if they cannot get a guy like Bradford to settle down, and play better ball. By restructuring DK Metcalf’s contract, Seattle has the funds to go get better players up front, if need be.

Therefore, I need to feel like this organization is determined to hold onto, and build off of their lead in this tough NFC West division. I mean, I neeeeeeed it to happen.

I feel this way because I think that contention for the division title is right there for them, this year, if they want it. So many pieces on this team are there, and so many young pieces are stepping up, and playing really well.. accept for their guards. Even third string tackle Stone Forsythe is subbing in decently enough at right tackle.

I do not mean to highjack the feel good nature of kicking the absolute snot balls out of the Miami Dolphins, but fucking hell do I ever need to see better offensive line play. I just do. Please.

Pretty please.

Great win, otherwise, though. I oddly believe that, too, despite the stress load.

Admittedly, in prior years, this would have been the type of game to make me nervous about losing to a backup quarterback, anyways. Pete Carroll teams developed a nasty habit of playing down to an inferior opponent, loosing to backups, and I tried really hard to shake nerves heading into this one. I will be the first to admit that watching the offensive line mishaps in this one gave me PTSD fits at times.

Agro texts from my friend Matt didn’t help settle these vibes, either. Even though I recognize that he is an absolute tin hatter conspiracy enthusiast about NFL refs, the flags that flew anytime Seattle was on offense for two and a half quarters felt like the first thirty minutes of Saving Private Ryan to me, and made me question the amount of coffee I drank throughout the morning.

Never mind the fact that Boye Mafe, Derick Hall, Tyrel Dodson, and Dre’Mont Jones made me fear for Skylar Thompson’s life at moments. Never mind that Seattle’s tight ends came to life, Charbonnet played a great game, and DK Metcalf continues to prove that he is as unique of a talent as there is in this league.

Optimistically, I was wishing for a very clean game, but the reality hit me in the face yet again that NFL football is often really hard to win at. In this league, the talent discrepancies are often razor thin between most clubs, and different teams match up against other opponents differently than others.

Look what the Denver Broncos did to the Tampa Bay Bucs on the road, and what Carolina did to the Raiders. I bet Baker Mayfield and Gardner Minshew didn’t see those beatdowns against them coming moments before kickoff.

I dunno, football stirs up emotions inside me unlike any other sport. Sometimes, I feel like it is that perfect girlfriend who is amazing in every way until she’s into her third glass of champaign.

In this one, against the Fins, she drank too much after not eating enough to sustain good offensive line play, I think. Maybe better offensive guard play, and a dry month is just the thing she needs. Either way, I’m here for her.

Go Hawks.

No matter what happens with the Seahawks this year, whether they struggle and miss the playoffs, or become a surprising contender, one aspect about this team will be certain to happen. Seahawk fans will be divided when it comes to Geno Smith.

Seattle could take an improbable path to the Super Bowl, and there will probably be certain fans who will be “thanks, Geno!.. time to draft a quarterback.”

Seattle could also struggle playing through a tough division, and end up with a losing record. If that happens, there will most certainly be load cries to see what we have in Sam Howell, and cut bait with Geno.

But on the flip side, this fanbase also has loads of people who are staunchly in Geno Smith’s corner. They believe that not only is he rightly the QB1 for now, but should be looked to be the future, as well.

Curiously, from the observations I have made online, podcasts I follow, some national takes that I see, the people who tend to be very pro Geno Smith seem to be the ones who demonstrate knowing ball pretty well. These people are mainly the analytics crowd of the fanbase, and the league, and football film junkies who break down plays and coverages.

These people are comfy with Geno about to turn 34 years old, and have a “so what” attitude about having an older quarterback who took an unorthodox path to becoming QB1 here in the PNW. They study the tape, look at his numbers compared to other quarterbacks spread across the league, and they are confident in their projections that Geno’s got some good years left out of him.

I get it. Positive numbers are alluring.

As of right now, Geno projects to have a pretty good QBR rating, on the whole, over the last two year span, even if there were up and down trends with his game. Analytics also support that he is one of the best quarterbacks when making plays under pressure, one of the best play action passers in the league, and he is one of the best deep ball passing quarterbacks, as well.

At the start of the season last year, the anti Geno crowd used the argument that he hadn’t proven that he could win games in the fourth quarter, but then he went on to prove to be one of the best fourth quarter quarterbacks in the league last season. In fact, the more games he plays in, the more the anti Geno crowd is running out of excuses as to why he shouldn’t be the starter here much longer. The best that they can muster up is that he is older and therefore, cannot be expected to be the future.

Because of these numbers, and what my own eye test has sorta told me about Geno, and the support he has gotten from sharp football minds I respect like Brian Nemhauser of Hawkblogger, Mina Kimes, the Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar, Cigar Thoughts thinker Jacson Bevens, and others, I land pretty firmly on the Pro Geno Smith side of the argument. I get it that his story is unusual, he’s older, and at some point, Seattle needs to draft and develop a young quarterback. I also believe that the way league rules protect quarterbacks these days, it has become more common for quarterbacks to play longer and still find success.

That said, even in the most stubborn pro Geno position I could take, I still see certain writings on the wall for him in Seattle that make me believe that his future with this team is a murky one, at best. I am not blind to the tea leaves that I read.

Let’s look at this team’s roster financials.

Over The Cap, an online source that calculates and tracks roster spending, projects Seattle to be $19 million over their salary cap at the start of the 2025. No matter what this team does in 2024, make the playoffs, or not make them, they will need to cut some talented players, and/or restructure contracts to get their finances right next Spring in order to sign back key free agents, dip into free agency, and also have enough money to sign their rookie class. This is the grim financial future waiting for this team after the season.

Popular players who could be at risk to be cut or dealt could include Tyler Lockett, Leonard Williams, Uchenna Nwosu, Dre’Mont Jones, and Noah Fant. Of all the players who could open up the most money if cut or traded would be Geno Smith.

Hypothetically, if Seattle moved off of him for Sam Howell (and possibly a rookie, or cheap vet), Seattle would free up $25 million and be effectively under their cap. If they also moved off of Tyler Lockett, they would free up an additional $17 million. For sake of argument, let’s say they cut lose Dre Jones, and that frees up over $11 million.

These three actions would net them roughly $34 million in effective cap space to sign back center Connor Williams and maybe starting linebackers Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker. After these signings, they would have probably enough cap to sign a player or two in free agency on minimum deals and then sign there draft class.

This is the cold honest truth about Seattle’s roster structure in terms of its salary cap. As much as it might seem that Geno is the guy, it kinda feels like this roster has been under construction for a QB on a rookie contract to eventually take over, at least in terms of salary cap management. If you went onto the Over The Cap website, and looked at this team’s financial outlooks for 2025 and 2026, you would immediately get this vibe.

In my mind, I imagine Seattle would probably love to find a talented young quarterback playing on a cheap rookie contract. That player just hasn’t landed to them yet, and right now, they possess a talented older quarterback who is essentially playing for his future to remain here in Seattle this year.

It is certainly very possible that Geno Smith catches fire this season, guides Seattle back into the playoffs, makes the pro bowl for a third straight year, ingratiates himself with Ryan Grubb and Mike Macdonald, and they work out an extension in the following offseason. With an extension, they can convert money into the form of a signing bonus, drop is 2025 salary number significantly down, cut a few other expensive veterans, and maybe restructure a couple other contracts.

With each restructure, though, that is financially kicking money down the line, inflating future salary caps, and making it financially more difficult to sign back good players coming off of their cheap rookie contracts. You can be the biggest pro Geno person out there, and still recognize this particular salary cap quandary.

So, if this teams elects to pay Geno Smith $50 million APY, you most certainly not see Tyler Lockett staying here, and the team would also have to part ways with other talented vets. After the 2025 season, the team would also be hard pressed to keep together all of Boye Mafe, Riq Woolen, Ken Walker, Abe Lucas, and Charles Cross. After 2026, they will have a chore figuring out ways to keep Jaxon Smith Ngijba, Devon Witherspoon, Derek Hall, and Zach Charbonnet. Tough decisions would be inevitable.

I am not arguing against paying Geno Smith the value he would be worth, if he has truly ascended into top tier quarterback status, but I am showing you what it means to pay someone who will be well into his mid thirties this kind of money down the road. Seattle is building a talented young core, and it would be hard to keep them together for a quarterback who may only be a three to five year plan, at best, beyond 2024.

This is why I believe we have never seen this team fully embrace Geno Smith as their franchise quarterback this year. I think they are being very purposefully pulled back from doing that, and there are numerous examples.

Go down and have a walk around their stadium. Geno Smith is this team’s highest paid player, and yet he does not have his own individual mural picture on the outside of the stadium like other key players have. What does that tell you?

That tells me that he is playing this season for his own future on this team.

After all, it was just around five months ago that John Schneider was asked whether Geno is their starting quarterback, and he answered “he is until isn’t.”

That lack of endorsement set off alarm bells with Geno fans, and people got pissed. Schneider got asked a very pointed question, and yet he elected to be candid instead of sugar coating it.

Frankly, it didn’t really bother me much. After all, he didn’t know if they would be able to draft a guy like Michael Penix Junior, or not, and Schneider wouldn’t have had any idea how this new coaching staff would ultimately take to Geno. It sort of struck me as maybe something he wanted to say to prep people for potential quarterback move around the corner.

Let us remember that when Schneider came to town with Pete Carroll in 2010, the Seahawks had Matt Hasselbeck, arguably the best quarterback in franchise history at the time, on it’s roster, and they traded for Charlie Whitehurst to develop behind him much like they trade for Howell this year.

After seeing Hasselbeck play well enough to guide this team into the playoffs, and win a playoff against the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, Pete Carroll and John Schneider said “thank you and goodbye” to Hass that following offseason. It’s safe to assume that Pete and John were looking for something different at quarterback. Eventually, they landed on Russell Wilson.

So, saying Geno is the starter until he isn’t shouldn’t really be that shocking, if you look at this team’s history. It should simply be a vivid tea leaf to read.

The organization might really like Geno Smith a lot, and appreciate who and what he is for this team right now, but they ultimately might be building this roster up for eventually a young gun to step in, just like I mentioned above. This feels real enough for me.

It makes sense, given the players that they have extended, and the players that they are looking to extend in a few short years, to have a cheap solution at quarterback for the length of a rookie contract. This is probably their ideal scenario.

But many times in life, ideal scenarios don’t always present themselves. Good teams do not reach on quarterbacks in the draft just to take one. They stay true to their draft boards.

Therefore, I don’t think we see John Schneider next Spring draft a quarterback in round one just for the sake of it in order to prepare for life without Geno. After all, in 2023, he had two opportunities in the first round to draft Will Levis and passed both times. Anyone watching Tennessee last Sunday can see that Levis is still very much a work in progress player.

So, here is ultimately where I sorta land in all of this Geno debate in Seattle. I really like Geno Smith a lot. I like what he is as a player, and I dig who I think he is as a person. If he plays well in 2024, like I think he is fully capable of playing, I wouldn’t be upset at all if this team worked out an extension with him for a few more years. I would actually be excited about it.

Therefore, as of right now, I still believe that this is a likely enough of a scenario. As this season wears on, I can see Geno Smith clicking in this new offense with Ryan Grubb’s play calling, and further winning over this new coaching staff.

Would I be shocked if it didn’t happened and they turned to Sam Howell in 2025 with potentially a rookie competing with him?

No, I would not be shocked. Geno could play well, and just like with Hasselbeck years ago, they could still elect to move on. This could most certainly happen.

But I still think that Geno stands a strong chance to endear himself to his new coaches with good enough play, and leadership to where they are going to want to keep rolling with him. It’s just an unshakable vibe I get. It makes me reluctant to bet against him staying in Seattle.

Those who know Grubb pretty well have noted that he prefers a very specific personality at quarterback. He wants an alpha personality who will command a huddle, make smart decisions, and possess the ability to accurately push the ball downfield. Geno Smith is all of this right now. That is why they never intended to open up competition between him and Howell.

I will say another thing about Geno and Sam Howell. If Howell was quarterbacking in the final minutes against the Broncos and attempting that crucial third down pass to the tightly covered Tyler Lockett, I don’t think he makes that throw. I don’t think he even attempts that throw.

All throughout training camp, Geno demonstrated vast superiority of accuracy with the football over Sam Howell. It wasn’t close. Do not underestimate how much that means to Ryan Grubb when he is calling plays.

Therefore, I think that if Seattle does make the playoffs this year, and Geno plays well, he and the team will likely find middle ground on an extension. He will probably have his coaches (and teammates) pushing for this. Maybe it’s only a short two year extension, or three at the most, but extending a quality Geno Smith a few more years gives this team the luxury of staying competitive until they find a player in the draft that they believe will be the franchise. There is tons of value in this.

I think this is the solid middle ground for the player and the organization. Give him some more money and a couple extra years, and keep your options open for drafting a quarterback that you really like.

I would not be so quick to assume that Geno will want Dak Prescott dollars, either. If he does, than this whole situation becomes a very different discussion, but I suspect that he will want to be compensated better than he is now, and with probably a little more in guaranteed money tossed into the deal. At the same time, however, I believe he will recognize that giving the team a friendlier contract deal than other quarterbacks probably assures that the team will better fit talent around him.

Maybe I am wrong about this. I could be, but I wouldn’t, at this point, bet against it. Things are presently murky, but one really good season out of Geno Smith this year can clear a lot of that up.

John Schneider likely genuinely appreciates Geno, but he also knows all too well that finding a bright young quarterback to play on a rookie contract is a golden ticket for any franchise in this league. Any good general manager in his position, of having a decent QB1 entering his mid thirties with a new coaching staff, would be thinking the same exact thing. At some point, you have got to get younger, if you can.

But at the same time, I think John likes to operate by having a strong working relationship with his coaches, and he takes in their input. If they bang the table loudly for Geno, I don’t see him ignoring that.

This is why I am not at all stressing this truth between Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks. Having a good quarterback now, and an eye for another one in the future is exactly how this team should be operating. This is how they have set themselves up to operate, I believe.

This is the very last thing I will land on with Geno Smith the quarterback. This dude has been through a lot of shit as a professional football player, and against many odds, he stayed with it, and overcame what most others in his position have not been able to do. Don’t think for a second that he looking at this trial year, and doesn’t have the inner fortitude stay strong against any adversity and doubt.

You can be put off by his age, and his path to being QB1 in Seattle. If you are under the age of thirty, you probably only really know quarterback success in Seattle coming from some dude who won a Super Bowl game managing on a cheap rookie contract. That’s fine.

But I think only a fool underestimates how much the players on this team love him, how strongly he commands the huddle, and how determined he is to prove all the hating fuckos out there wrong all over again.

Go Hawks