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Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider faces a brutal decision this offseason at the quarterback position. He has about five weeks to decide whether or not to keep Geno Smith around for the final year of his contract. On March 16 Smith is due around $16 million in guarantees, a deadline that will spur a decision one way or another.
Ask head coach Mike Macdonald and he'd say that he wants to keep Geno Smith around, but he also knows it's not his call to make. So, what should the Seahawks do with number 7? Let's examine a few scenarios.
1. Do nothing
Sometimes the best moves an executive makes are the ones that he doesn't actually do. Schneider's best scenario might be doing nothing. In other words, the Seahawks allow Geno Smith to play out this final season on his three-year extension and delay a decision until next offseason, when he will become an unrestricted free agent.
2. Extend Geno Smith
The problem with doing nothing is that Geno Smith has a cap hit of $44.5 million this year, and making some kind of adjustment to that deal is the best way to clear up some salary cap room. If Schneider decides to keep Smith around beyond the 2025 season he could offer an extension. According to Over the Cap, an extension could save the team almost $28 million this year.
3. Trade Geno Smith
Then again, Smith is 34 years old and it's pretty clear that he has taken this team as far as they can go in their current form. Should Schneider decide to move on from Geno the first choice should be exploring trade options. There are at least 5-6 teams that would be getting a huge upgrade at QB if they were to trade for Smith, including Pete Carroll's Raiders. They may only get a sixth-round pick in return, but dealing Smith would save $31 million in cap room.
4. Cut Geno Smith
While several teams can use him, there's no guarantee that they'll want to deal for a quarterback who's well past his prime and has an interception problem. If Schneider doesn't get any offers that he likes, he may choose to bite the bullet and make Smith a cap casualty. Cutting Smith comes with a $13.5 million dead money hit, but it also saves the team $31 million.
5. Keep Geno Smith for now, draft for the future
The solution may require more than just one move from Schneider. No matter which way you slice it, Geno is going to be this team's best option to start in 2025, and possibly in 2026, as well - unless they somehow manage to trade for an upgrade or sign Sam Darnold. Schneider could try to get the best of both worlds by keeping Smith on his current contract and also picking a quarterback in the 2025 NFL draft. Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss is becoming a popular prospect connected to Seattle, for one.
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