Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider saw quarterback Geno Smith cement himself as a legitimate replacement for Russell Wilson even before the 2022 season got underway.
Schneider recently told ESPN’s Dan Graziano that Smith “took his game to that next level” and took full control of the Seattle offense as soon as head coach Pete Carroll named the veteran last September’s Week 1 starter following a summer competition that also involved former Denver Broncos signal-caller Drew Lock.
“He went from saying, like, ‘Hey, if it’s Drew, I’m here to support him, I’ll back him’ to three weeks later, ‘Okay, my team now,'” Schneider said about Smith. “There was a lot of pressure on him, and he handled it outstanding.”
Interestingly, star wide receiver DK Metcalf suggested last month he knew Smith would defeat Lock to win the QB1 gig before the team opened training camp roughly one year ago. Metcalf added at that time Smith truly erased any doubts about his leadership qualities shortly before and during the Week 8 victory over the New York Giants on Oct. 30.
Smith became one of the more positive stories of last season en route to earning the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year Award and his first career Pro Bowl selection. Per ESPN stats, he led the league among qualified players with a 69.8% completion percentage, and he also finished the regular season tied for sixth with a 60.8 adjusted QBR, eighth with 4,282 passing yards and fourth with 30 passing touchdowns.
Before the March deadline for teams to use their franchise tags, Seattle signed Smith to a three-year contract that ultimately could become a one-year agreement depending on how he plays this fall. Schneider indicated there was little drama regarding Smith’s status this offseason.
“He was great during the [contract] negotiations,” Schneider said of Smith. “It wasn’t confrontational at all, it was a really positive negotiation. And we were able to get that done in a timeframe where he was really able to own the offseason and take the guys with him (for training sessions).”
Seattle isn’t hosting a quarterback battle this time around, as Smith entered August the club’s undisputed starter ahead of the Week 1 game versus the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 10. He nevertheless will again find himself playing for some long-term job security with the organization, and that could be all the motivation Smith needs to show his 2022 campaign was no fluke.
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