In 2022, the Seattle Seahawks were expected to struggle in the absence of longtime starting quarterback Russell Wilson. But instead, Geno Smith defied all expectations while leading the team on a playoff run.
After winning the starting job heading into the season, Geno Smith was dominant for the Seahawks. Over 17 games he threw for 4,282 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. On the ground, he added 366 rushing yards and one touchdown. In his ninth NFL season, the former second-round pick played the best football of his career.
During a recent appearance on The Herd With Colin Cowherd, Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf spoke on Geno Smith's emergence in 2022.
“I believe sitting behind Russ [Wilson] really like motivated him and really showed him how good he could really be in this league cause even at practice, he's yelling at the practice squad guys to run their routes right. He's like, ‘This is my opportunity too'. And I'm like, ‘Ok I respect that 'cause you understand what's at stake,'” said Metcalf.
“The year we traded Russ and he's the starter, he comes into training camp and he's locked in, like body wise, mentally, watching the film. I saw the transition from ‘Ok, I'm a backup'. To ‘Ok, this is my team, I'm a starter.'”
“Like Week 8, he won the locker room over and he was giving pre-game speeches and people were listening to him, and buying into Geno Smith. I mean, I believed in him from the start, but just see the transition from people like, ‘Oh yeah, he's immature', and writing him off to, ‘Ok that's my leader, that's my quarterback,'” said Metcalf.
With Geno Smith leading the charge, the Seahawks appear to have found their quarterback of the future. With a new contract in place, it expectations will be even higher in 2023.
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