THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Seahawks facing a decision on 'Geno issue'

Remember when you played touch football back in the neighborhood?

There was always a kid who was better than everyone else.

And his team always won.

You saw the grown-up version of that scenario on Sunday, when Patrick Mahomes took Kansas City the length of the field — and tossed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman for an overtime win in the Super Bowl.

Mahomes is that kid who’s just, well, the best.

Maybe the best ever.

San Francisco’s Brock Purdy, on the other hand, is a decent NFL quarterback — maybe even some notches above that.

But when the 49ers had the ball in overtime, Purdy got overwhelmed by Chris Jones on a third-down rush from the Chiefs 9-yard line.

He threw wild and incomplete, forcing the Niners to kick a field goal that gave them a 22-19 lead.

After that, showtime. 

Mahomes led the Chiefs 75 yards in 14 plays — including conversions on two third downs, and a gutty fourth down play on which Mahomes ran an option right past all-world defensive end Nick Bosa.

In that moment, Bosa was simply another kid back in the neighborhood.

YOU SEE the lesson here, yes?

Purdy is a useful pro quarterback who may go on to have a fine career.

Mahomes is the truth.

That distinction matters to the Seahawks this week, because they have to make a decision on the fate of QB Geno Smith by Friday.

GM John Schneider, new coach Mike Macdonald and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb have to decide whether to cut Smith — who has no more guaranteed money left on his contract — or pay him his 2024 salary.

If Smith remains on Seattle’s roster past Friday, his base salary of $12.7 million for this season becomes guaranteed. 

Smith is also due a $9.6 million bonus if he’s on the roster on March 18.

Now, $22 million or so is well under the $40-50 million that the league’s elite quarterbacks are paid, but Smith is now 33 — and considered somewhere in the middle of QB tiers by most scouts and analytics services.

In addition to deciding whether or not to roll with Geno this season, the Hawks must decide on bidding to keep last year’s backup, Drew Lock.

Lock was a $4 million backup a year ago who played well in four appearances — and is now a free agent.

The decision to stick with Smith for two seasons (both 9-8 records in the regular season, with a playoff loss in 2022) over Lock was entirely down to Pete Carroll.

We don’t know how Schneider would have voted on that deal, because Carroll had the final say on all personnel matters.

Schneider, though, is considered something of a “quarterback whisperer” who almost certainly would have done whatever it took to draft Mahomes or Josh Allen if Seattle didn’t already have Russell Wilson in his prime.

Needless to say, we know almost nothing about the new administration’s opinion on Smith.

“I think Geno had a good season,” Schneider said, which was almost the equivalent of being asked to call a coin toss and answering: Both. 

“It was a little bit opposite of last year,” John said. “He started out really strong last year, and things dipped a little bit in the second half.”

This past season, obviously, got turned in the other direction.

The key question for the Hawks should turn on whether Macdonald is willing to build with Smith for at least one year — or take his chances with a free agent or draftee.

Seattle picks 16th overall this spring (some scouts think both Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr. from UW both could be available at that spot), but the Hawks have no second-round selection.

STAYING cautious, Macdonald followed Schneider’s lead and likewise tip-toed around the “Geno issue,” but he made it clear his quarterback would be critical to everything they hope to do.

“We played against Geno. He’s a really good player,” Macdonald said, skipping over that 37-3 battering his Ravens handed the Hawks last November.

Smith was 13 of 28 for 157 yards and an interception in that blowout, with 50 of those yards coming on one throw to DK Metcalf. 

“We’ll see how the whole situation shakes out over time,” Macdonald said. “But I’m excited to get to meet those guys.”

“But we’re going to build around the quarterback. You’ve got to. 

“Just like on defense, we built the system around the players on defense. We’re going to build it around the players on offense, and the most important player is the QB.” 

What will be fascinating — especially with a guy like Schneider who knows quarterbacks — will be whether he and Coach Mac are willing to try teaching someone decent to improve, or if they’ll shoot for the moon.

Evidence suggests you can’t win big without a star quarterback, no matter how you get one.

Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, who played in three Super Bowls, visited a Seattle radio show last week and explained the stakes very clearly.

“You can always get a guy,” Warner said, “but there’s a huge difference between ‘A’ guy and ‘THE’ guy. That difference will decide where you’re going.

“The truth is, you need to find a very special dude.” 

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”