Mike Macdonald noncommittal about Seahawks' quarterback situation in 2024
New Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald says he doesn't know if quarterbacks Geno Smith and Drew Lock will be on the team this season.
In an interview with Aaron Levine of KCPQ, Macdonald was asked, "Are Geno Smith and Drew Lock both involved in the future of this organization going forward and finding success here?"
Macdonald answered: “That’s a tough question, and it’s one that I probably can’t answer right now. We're doing a lot of work on those guys, and I've had conversations just to get to know them, and understand who they are as people and their background, goals, what their family's like, where they're from. I didn't know anything about them coming into this whole thing. Right now we're in the phase of figuring out who they are. Obviously one or two or both would fit into our plan going forward, but right now we probably don't have that answer for you.”
The phrasing of the question was odd, as it lumped in Smith, who was the starter last year and has a $12.7 million guaranteed base salary this season, with Lock, who was a backup last year and becomes a free agent in March. But Macdonald could have answered the odd question by saying Smith will be back but he doesn't know Lock's future. Instead, Macdonald indicated that he doesn't know where either of them stand.
Given his contract, which was recently restructured, Smith would seem likely to remain in Seattle in 2024. But Macdonald declining to commit to Smith would suggest that the Seahawks are open to moving on if the right move presents itself this offseason.
