This is what would make the Seahawks bench Geno Smith

Geno Smith's contract with Seahawks was basically designed to bench him if this one thing occurs and it just happened with another QB: 11/05/2023

The Seattle Seahawks would be most likely to bench quarterback Geno Smith when and if the team is eliminated from postseason contention.

Source?

Derek Carr’s 2022 contract extension with the Las Vegas Raiders and his eventual dismisal from the team within the same year.

As I’ve written recently, the two quarterbacks share a lot of circumstantial similarities, but more importantly I believe that the very nature of the Seahawks—and in many ways the smart half of the modern NFL—is to avoid as many financial risks as possible when it comes to quarterback contracts.

Cautionary tales (Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Kyler Murray as a few examples) have been further sources of inspiration for Pete Carroll and John Schneider to avoid burdensome contractual guarantees and therefore I think the possibility of benching Geno will be a matter of IF and WHEN.

IF the Seahawks start stacking losses and fall out of playoff contention, that’s WHEN the Seahawks will give Drew Lock the ball.

The devil is in the details of Geno’s contract. I was correct when I said that the Seahawks would do all in their power to avoid giving Geno the franchise tag in March and correct when I wrote in January, two months before signing the deal, that Seattle should give Smith the same contract that the Raiders gave to Carr a year earlier: One that appeared on paper to be long-term and lucrative when people tweeted about it (for the views) but in reality gave the team an immediate out in case Geno Smith wrote back.

Because the Seahawks are now embroiled in a full-fledged quarterback controversy (who could have predicted that?), but UNLIKELY to make a change in the middle of the season (and Seaside Joe has never said that they would or claimed to know that they should, only noted that controversy was inevitable), I wanted to share for premium subscribers some additional thoughts today on the WHEN, WHY, and HOW of a potential Geno Smith benching date.

This is not something I simply base on opinion, but contract details, recent league history, and the needless/huge financial risk that the Seahawks would assume if they play Geno Smith at quarterback after the team has nothing left to play for this season. Also, what it would mean for Drew Lock and the future of the quarterback position in 2024.