It’s been a somewhat successful three-year run for the team from the Pacific Northwest. That’s what you call a backhanded compliment. Consider that the Seattle Seahawks have now gone these last three seasons without a playoff victory. The team hasn’t come up with a postseason win since knocking off the Eagles, 17-9, at Philadelphia in the 2019 wild card round.

In 2022, the Seahawks finished 9-8 and claimed a wild-card invitation, but were routed 49ers in the first round. The club matched that mark a year later, but this time it wasn’t good enough to reach the postseason. In 2024, Seattle was the only team in the league to win at least 10 games and not reach the playoffs. The club owns a combined 28-23 regular-season record in their last three campaigns.

The biggest common denominator over this span has been well-traveled quarterback Geno Smith. CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr recently penned a piece explaining what each of the league’s 32 teams needed to improve on in one area this offseason. For the Seahawks, he explained why he felt the team needs to find a long-term successor to Smith.

“There is nothing wrong with Smith as a quarterback; he’s serviceable and a team can win games with him. If the Seahawks want to win a Super Bowl, Smith is not the answer—especially at 34. The Seahawks can play Smith in 2025 and groom his successor for 2026, using the salary cap space to load up an improving roster.”

Smith joined the Seahawks in 2020, then came out of nowhere in his third year with Pete Carroll’s club. He threw for 30 scores, earned a Pro Bowl nod and was named the 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. The 2013 second-round pick of the Jets has played and started a combined 50 contests since ’22, including the aforementioned wild-card loss at San Francisco.

Smith owns a 27-23 overall mark as a starter. He’s thrown a combined 73 touchdown passes, but has also committed a disturbing 44 turnovers—some more “spectacular” than others.

Smith seemed to digress in 2024. He threw for a career-high 4,320 yards, as well as 21 touchdowns. However, his 15 interceptions were his highest total since his rookie season (21) more than a decade ago. It appears that the 11-year pro has indeed hit his ceiling. The coming months in Seattle may be interesting indeed.

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