Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald went into this year’s combine with a completely different approach than last year. It seems as though the approach in question was just actually showing up to this year’s combine.
The Pete Carroll successor did not attend last year’s combine. Instead, he and the newly hired coaches wanted to get a head start on their playbooks and upcoming plans for training Seattle’s roster last offseason.
This year, Macdonald made sure he and his coaches attended with more of an established approach in what they want to get out of the combine. For instance, according to Gregg Bell at The News Tribune, Macdonald and his staff made an effort to watch the final offensive lineman drills at the combine in person inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
Macdonald recently made comments on his and his staff’s efforts.
“Yeah, I think we’re just ahead of the curve…Just fast forward everything to now. We’re at the starting point. Just like, ‘Hey, we know what schemes we’re running. We know how it’s rolled out.’”
Smith’s Upcoming Contract Talks
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is coming off throwing a career-high 4,320 yards last season and is currently on the last year of his three-year $75 million contract. Despite Smith being 35 years old, Seattle seemingly has plans to sign Smith to an extension before his current contract expires.
According to the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta, head coach Mike Macdonald announced this past Wednesday, “I mean, I’d love to announce it (an extension) right now, that we’re rolling and Geno’s extended, and we can stop getting the question”.
General manager John Schneider announced this past Tuesday that a contract extension for Smith was already being negotiated with Smith’s agent.
Can Smith Help Bring The Seattle Seahawks Out of Mediocrity?
The Seahawks signed Smith in 2023 following a playoff appearance in 2022, where Smith was the starting quarterback in a loss vs. the San Francisco 49ers. Since then, the Seahawks have failed to make it back to the playoffs.
Smith and the Seahawks were about as close a team could get to the playoffs in 2024 without actually making it in. The Seahawks were tied in their division with the Los Angeles Rams at 10-7 for the season. However, the Rams faced opponents during the regular season that had a stronger “won-lost-tied” percentage as opposed to the opponents that the Seahawks faced.
According to 2024 QBR rankings, Smith was ranked in the bottom half of the 32 NFL quarterbacks who recorded a QBR this past season. This put Smith in an interesting position as he was ranked right below Bryce Young’s QBR, but was still over C.J. Stroud’s.
Given how close the Seahawks were to a playoff spot in 2024, the question on whether Smith may have held the team back with below-average quarterback play is certainly there.
However, the issue of Smith’s performance impeding the Seahawks in 2024 is perhaps overshadowed by Smith’s troubles with getting sacked. In 2024, Smith was sacked 50 times, which certainly caused a significant detriment to him and the Seahawks’ overall offensive performance. The Seahawks averaged 3.2 sacks per game in 2024 (the fifth-worst in the NFL).
Now, with the addition of a new offensive coordinator, this upcoming season will serve as a “litmus test” for Smith with the Seahawks. A new offensive scheme could certainly be the type of change Smith might need in order to elevate his performance and the Seahawks to an above-average season moving forward.
Is Smith’s Value As a Leader Derived From His Presence in The Locker Room?
As the Seahawks take into consideration the many factors that could lead to a potential new contract between Smith and the organization, an intangible feature, like Smith’s support to his teammates in the locker room, could be what drives Smith to a new contract.
Not too long ago, when Pro Bowl rosters were announced for the 2024 season, Smith gave his thoughts on his teammate Leonard Williams’ snub as a Pro Bowl selection.
Seahawk’s Quarterback, Geno Smith, sounded off on potential anti-Seattle bias in the NFL. Leonard’s snub was a prime example, according to Smith: “…I’ve been in Seattle long enough to know there’s some type of a bias. I feel that way, honestly. There are a lot of players that have been snubbed from a lot of things here. It’s unfortunate for guys like Leo, who has had a tremendous season…”.
Whether Smith was simply commenting on an anti-Settle bias in the NFL or just having his teammate’s back, the optics look good when Smith is a voice for the team when speaking to the media.
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