How Geno Smith Has Resurrected His NFL Career In Seattle

Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Jalen Hurts all play in the NFC. Yet as we approach the midway point of the 2022 NFL season, the conference's highest-rated passer is none other than Seattle Seahawks signal-caller Geno Smith.

Smith was essentially left for dead by the professional football community midway through the previous decade. Prior to this season, the No. 39 overall pick from the 2013 NFL draft had started only five games over the last six years. He's currently the league's 38th highest-paid quarterback in terms of average annual contract value, according to Spotrac.

Entering this season, Smith was widely considered nothing more than a stopgap or a bridge for a rebuilding team. To most, he was known as the former New York Jets washout who was forced to replace departed superstar Russell Wilson in Seattle.

Despite only so-so support—Seattle's offensive line has not been great, as per usual—Smith leads the league with a completion rate of 73.4. He ranks fifth with 8.0 yards per pass attempt, and he trails only Tua Tagovailoa, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes in QBR. The Seattle passing offense ranks third in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) at Football Outsiders, and the Seahawks are a surprisingly competitive 3-3 with the eighth-highest-scoring offense in the NFL.

Smith has nine touchdowns to two interceptions and an NFC-best 119.8 rating on deep passing attempts, along with a 117.0 rating on third down. Throw in 125 yards, eight first downs and a touchdown on 26 carries, and it's hard to argue that he doesn't deserve a shot at a long-term starting role in Seattle or elsewhere.

Which begs the question: Did the NFL overlook Geno Smith for the better part of a decade?

Smith essentially lost his job after teammate IK Enemkpali broke his jaw in a locker room altercation back in 2015, paving the way for veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick to step in and succeed. But he was arguably already on thin ice at that point despite being only two years into his NFL career. This league lacks patience, and Smith wasn't exactly surrounded by Hall of Famers in his early years.

Smith entered the league with the arm, the mind, the spirit and the athleticism to become a solid NFL starter, and he improved across the board statistically as a sophomore in 2014, particularly at the tail end of that campaign. During the final four games of that season, he completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 1,001 yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions, a 9.2 yards-per-attempt average and a 105.3 passer rating.

Before his altercation with Enemkpali, he went eight consecutive practices without an interception to begin training camp, per ESPN's Rich Cimini. But then the punch happened, Fitzpatrick happened, and all of a sudden it was 2017, and the semi-forgotten Smith was a member of the New York Giants in his age-27 season.

Smith backed up Eli Manning that year, Philip Rivers with the then-San Diego Chargers the next year, and then he was off to Seattle to back up Wilson.

It's now safe to wonder if Smith was given a fair shake. There were clues about his potential back in his early days, but he never had a real shot again. The good news is that many quarterbacks don't hit their primes until they're well into their 30s, and Smith could be yet another case like Rich Gannon or Kurt Warner.

Is it sustainable? Under head coach Pete Carroll, and with wideouts DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett at his disposal, it's absolutely possible. The base is there, as are the broad and advanced metrics.

Nobody's saying he'll remain on track to reset the single-season completion percentage record or finish with a passer rating in the 110 range, and it's worth noting that his best performances thus far came against struggling pass defenses belonging to the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions, while his worst came against a strong San Francisco pass D.

It's fair to expect some regression, but there's room for that with Smith still remaining in the Pro Bowl conversation.

Regardless, Carroll and the Seahawks' front office deserve kudos. It's early, but Smith is outperforming Wilson across the board, despite the fact his predecessor has more offensive support with the Denver Broncos.

That could change. It is arguably likely to change. But it's always fun to see a surprise reclamation project, and Smith's success has been one of the stories of the year.

Smith now has a chance to make another impression in a big spot against the stacked and streaking Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Next week, he'll take on the surprising Giants. Those are back-to-back tests with teams that didn't give him much of a chance when he was on their respective rosters.

Impressive and victorious performances in those spots could be enough for the Seahawks to start thinking about a long-term deal for an oft-overlooked signal-caller who is suddenly on track to become one of the NFL's more sought-after free agents this spring.