The Seattle Seahawks have a host of roster decisions to make this offseason, and ESPN has listed a bold move for the franchise’s future.

The Seattle Seahawks will have Geno Smith under center again for the 2024 season in a move that shocked no one as the veteran showed what he can do in Shane Waldron’s offense last year.

Now, with Ryan Grubb in his ear and a new head coach in Mike Macdonald, Smith will again be tasked with getting Seattle back into the postseason. But this offseason is a chance to look towards the future for the new regime.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) and quarterback Drew Lock (2) take the field before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.
© Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

With a host of talented quarterbacks in the upcoming draft, ESPN has outlined a bold move for the Seahawks to make this offseason: draft a quarterback in Round 1.

“Do the Seahawks want to prove this is a new age and the Pete Carroll era is over? Draft a quarterback in Round 1! Since the Russell Wilson selection in 2012, the Seahawks have drafted only one quarterback: seventh-rounder Alex McGough in 2018,” ESPN writes. “Geno Smith has been much better than anyone expected, but it is time to start a long-term plan at the game’s most important position.

“The No. 16 selection might be too early to dip into the next level of young quarterbacks after the top three, so it would be even better for the Seahawks to trade back a little bit, get some extra draft capital and still land a young quarterback they can groom behind Smith. Perhaps they can stay local with Washington’s Penix Jr.”

As ESPN states, the Seahawks’ draft position likely won’t allow them to go after the blue-chip quarterbacks in Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels, and the king’s ransom they would have to give up to get close enough to make a play would be too much.

But later in the draft could be where Seattle makes a move. While we aren’t sure that a player like Penix Jr. is worthy of a first-round selection, this was a “bold move,” as ESPN put it, and selecting him would certainly qualify.

Geno isn’t getting any younger, and with his cap set to hit $38.5 million in 2025, perhaps drafting a quarterback in this year’s draft isn’t as “bold” as many think.

Either way, the Seahawks are content with Geno leading the franchise for the 2024 season, but beyond that, it is unknown.

Could the Seahawks really draft Smith’s successor in the first round of the draft? It would be a bold move that could signal that times in Seattle really are changing.