In the aftermath of Sunday’s season-ending victory over the Rams, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith called offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb “an excellent coordinator and an even better man.”
But next season, Smith will have to get familiar with another play-caller in Seattle.
The Seahawks have fired Grubb, according to multiple reports.
Grubb, 48, was in his first year with the team and in the NFL after serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the University of Washington under former head coach Kalen DeBoer. While he initially agreed to follow DeBoer to Alabama, he was then hired by the Seahawks to stay in Seattle and lead the offense under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald.
But the Seahawks finished No. 14 in total yards and No. 18 in points scored in 2024, particularly struggling in the run game. Seattle finished No. 28 with 1,627 rushing yards.
While Smith finished with a 70.4 percent completion rate and 4,320 passing yards, he also threw 15 interceptions — the most he’s had since becoming Seattle’s starting quarterback in 2022.
Macdonald will now need to find a new offensive coordinator for his second season as head coach.
The Seahawks were out of playoff chances heading into Week 18, but they still had a shot to end the year with 10 wins and quarterback Geno Smith did his all to get the team to double digits.
Smith was 20-of-27 for 233 yards and four touchdowns in a 30-25 win that also helps Smith out individually. By winning 10 games, throwing for more than 4,282 yards and completing more than 69.755 percent of his passes, Smith earned three separate $2 million contract escalators. They will be tacked onto the $10 million roster bonus due early in the 2025 league year, although Smith said the contract was not on the forefront of his mind.
“Yeah, I was just trying to win,” Smith said, via a transcript from the team. “I’ll tell you, I hate throwing incompletions anyway, so those types of things aren’t . . . like I’m not worried about that. I try to complete every pass that I throw and usually during the games if I have one, I’m like, alright, I have to hit five in a row. That’s just how I play. I want to hit 10 in a row. I want 20 completions in a row. I wasn’t thinking about anything other than winning.”
Smith’s cap number is now set to rise to more than $44 million, but the Seahawks can lower that with an extension. Smith said he will “talk to the people that I need to talk to” about contractual matters after a season finale that displayed the best parts of what he brings to the offense in Seattle.
The Rams will be at home next weekend but they’ll need to wait until later tonight to find out their opponent on wild card weekend.
Seattle defeated Los Angeles 30-25 on Sunday to end the regular season. With that loss, the Rams finish the year 10-7 and are the NFC’s No. 4 seed. They will take on the loser of Sunday night’s matchup between Detroit and Minnesota, who will be the No. 5 seed.
As they’ve done several times under head coach Sean McVay, the Rams rested their starters for the last game of the season with the division title locked up and a bye not at stake.
Though the game did not have postseason implications for Seattle, it did have financial consequences for players like quarterback Geno Smith. He earned an additional $6 million by hitting his incentives for passing yards, completion percentage, and helping the club get to 10 wins.
Smith, however, may not be healthy, as he was clearly in pain during the fourth quarter before being checked out on the sideline and in the medical tent.
He finished the game 20-of-27 for 223 yards with four touchdowns and no picks.
Jimmy Garoppolo nearly brought the Rams down the field for a win late in the fourth quarter, but his pass to Jordan Whittington on fourth-and-3 was low and incomplete in the red zone.
Garoppolo ended the game 27-of-41 for 334 yards with two TDs and one interception.
Ronnie Rivers took the bulk of the carries with Blake Corum suffering a forearm injury. Whittington led with 86 yards on three catches.
Seattle ends its first season under head coach Mike Macdonald 10-7.
The Rams are resting starters after clinching the NFC West last weekend and the Seahawks lead the Week 18 matchup between NFC West rivals 17-13 at halftime.
Seattle quarterback Geno Smith has some incentives on the line and he appears on track to meet them. He needs a total of 185 passing yards, to finish the year with a 70 percent completion rate, and a Seahawks win to earn $6 million in incentives — $2 million each.
Smith ended the first half 11-of-14 for 130 yards with two TDs.
Receiver DK Metcalf also became the second player in league history to have 50 receptions, 900 yards, and five touchdowns in each of his first six seasons, joining hall of famer Randy Moss.
Starting in place of the resting Matthew Stafford, Rams quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo ended the first half 9-of-18 for 133 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
For the Seahawks, defensive tackle Byron Murphy II has been ruled out with a back injury. Cornerback Riq Woolen (ribs) is questionable.
Rams running back Blake Corum is questionable to return with a forearm injury.
If the Rams lose to the Seahawks, they will be the NFC’s No. 4 seed and face the loser of Sunday night’s marquee matchup between the Lions and Vikings next weekend.
If Los Angeles wins, the club will be the No. 3 seed and host Washington for wild card weekend.
Settle will receive the second-half kickoff.
As expected, there are several notable players inactive for Sunday’s regular-season finale between the Rams and Seahawks.
For Los Angeles, quarterback Matthew Stafford, receiver Cooper Kupp, receiver Puka Nacua, running back Kyren Williams, offensive lineman Kevin Dotson, offensive lineman Alaric Jackson, and offensive lineman Rob Havenstein are all inactive.
Jimmy Garoppolo is set to start at quarterback for the club.
The Rams clinched the NFC West via the strength of victory tiebreaker with the results from Week 17.
For the Seahawks, defensive tackle Brandon Pili, linebacker Patrick O’Connell, receiver Cody White, receiver John Rhys Plumlee, tight end Tyler Mabry, defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna, and quarterback Jaren Hall are inactive.
