Seattle Seahawks predicted to make dramatic move with Geno Smith

One NFL analyst thinks that the Seahawks will decide to move on from their three-year starting QB.

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 5: Geno Smith #7 of the Seattle Seahawks on the sideline during the fist half against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on January 5, 2025 in Inglewood, California. / (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)

Few NFL teams face a more challenging situation at the quarterback position than the Seattle Seahawks in 2025. Their starter Geno Smith has been a great value option for the last three years, performing at a high level and keeping Seattle competitive despite having to deal with one of the league’s worst offensive lines.

Perhaps the team’s greatest challenge will be reversing that decade of bad results along the offensive line. However, first they’re going to have to deal with a serious deficiency in salary cap room. Right now Seattle's effective cap space is around $30.7 million in the red according to Over the Cap. That means we could see some painful roster cuts over the next few weeks.

The biggest chunk of savings is of course the possibility of cutting Geno Smith, which would save $31 million and just barely get them back over zero. Getting nothing but cap room and losing Smith doesn’t seem like a good deal, but we have to admit it’s a distinct possibility.

One analyst believes that’s what they’ll do. Ben Rolfe at Pro Football Network is predicting the Seahawks bite the bullet and cut number seven.

PFN predicts Seahawks cut Geno Smith

“The problem with Smith at this point is that there is no ceiling. He’s played with three good receivers for the last few years and is still only a slightly above-average QB. Plus, the Seahawks replaced their offensive coordinator, so he’ll be learning a new scheme all over again next season. It’s a huge risk for Seattle because finding a solid quarterback in the NFL is hard. However, the Seahawks have to aim higher than middling.”

Rolfe is exactly right on that point, even if it’s not remotely Geno Smith’s fault that this team can’t seem to do any better than 9-10 wins and falling somewhere between missing the playoffs and getting spanked in the Wild Card round.

For 2025 - and likely for 2026 Smith is still by far this team’s best option to compete. However, in the long run you can make a strong case that now is the time to reset around a younger, cheaper quarterback while the rest of Seattle’s roster gets built up - especially that underperforming interior offensive line.

Even though Smith is their best QB1 choice, there’s also that small matter of his turnover problem, which became a major liability this season. Since taking over as the team’s starter in 2022 Smith has totaled 36 interceptions to go with his 76 touchdown passes. While there’s a far better ratio than he had early in his career with the New York Jets, it’s also not ideal. Smith’s super-aggressive instincts may be working against him in some cases, especially against more conservative modern coverages that are so popular.

It’s also probably worth mentioning that Smith himself is likely going to demand a new deal some time soon - one that will pay him closer to $50 million per year than the $25 million per year he’s been costing the Seahawks as their starter. Pete Carroll didn’t want to pay Russell Wilson that much three years ago, and if we had to guess we’d say John Schneider probably doesn’t want to fork over that much for Geno now.

Smith deserves a ton of credit for what he’s done these last three seasons, but now might be the ideal time to sell.

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