Everyone keeps wanting to kick Geno Smith to the curb, replacing him with a draft pick or Sam Howell — or anybody really.

But it sure seems like he is growing on new Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald. Not enough to get a new contract yet, as Smith reportedly would like, but it sounds as though the door could be open to a new deal after the season – if Smith plays worth it.

During camp, Macdonald hinted that Smith could indeed be in Seattle beyond 2025.

“I think that relationship is blossoming,’’ Macdonald told SI’s Albert Breer. “We’re not there yet; it’s still six months in or whatever. But we’re looking forward to seeing where it evolves over the next few years.’’

It was interesting he said “next few years” — as Smith is signed only through 2025 right now. And the Seahawks did not even commit to Smith for 2024 until John Schneider was sure he could not find an upgrade and/or get any good trade offers for him. And then, after Schneider knew they had no shot at the top quarterbacks in the draft, he traded for Howell and made it clear immediately that Howell would be Smith’s backup this year.

All reports from camp indicated that they made the right choice: Smith apparently looked very good while Howell struggled.

Smith has not played in the preseason (but is expected to see some snaps in the final game this weekend against Cleveland). Howell did not look great in the opener against the Chargers, but he showed off his arm a bit against Tennessee last weekend. He tossed a beautiful 23-yard touchdown pass and zipped in a couple of fastball completions as well.

But he still has a fatal flaw: He stares down his receivers and does not read the field. That is probably a product of not having time to throw the ball on previous teams, particularly the Washington Commanders last year. The habit will have to be coached out of him if he is going to have a chance to become Seattle’s full-time starter at some point.

For now, it is Smith’s job. But there is no reason for the Hawks to extend him. And it would be a surprise if they did before seeing how he performs in new OC Ryan Grubb’s offense.

If Smith plays as well as expected in 2024, though, he certainly could stick around for 2025 – probably with a pay bump over his $25 million. He and his agent obviously see the pedestrian Daniel Jones averaging $40 million a year from the Giants and shake their heads (like the rest of us). Smith also could easily argue he merits higher pay than Derek Carr ($37.5 million) and Baker Mayfield ($33 million). And he certainly sees big money being paid to much better quarterbacks – $55 million a year to Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow; $53 million to Tua Tagovailoa and Jared Goff.

“It’s hard not to see it,’’ Smith said last week. “We all see it. I’m really happy for those guys. Whatever they get, they deserve. You pay attention to it, but you try to stay focused on what you have to stay focused on, which is my job here with the Seahawks.”

Smith knows he doesn’t have much leverage. Remember, he did not have a big market when he was poised for free agency in 2023, after a Pro Bowl season in 2022. He ended up signing a team-friendly deal – if he excelled, it could have gone from $25 million a year to $35 million. But, predictably, that did not happen.

There also was no trade market for him earlier this year – and Schneider certainly seemed like he was keeping all of his options open at the Combine.

Even if Smith has his best season in 2024, would any of that change?  

He will be 34 in October. No team is going to want to trade for a QB that old. And even his own team is not fully committed beyond this year yet.

Obviously, Macdonald sounds like he would like to be. But it all comes down to how Smith plays.

This is a proving season for every single person on the team – from Macdonald to Smith to player No. 53. Smith’s future will be figured out after the last snap.