Geno Smith Proved Doubters Wrong

Geno took the NFL by storm in 2022.

The NFL is a tough business. Only a small percentage of Division-I athletes even make it to the league and when they do, they don't hang around for long. According to data provided by Statista, the average career in the NFL lasts 3.3. years. A standard rookie contract is four years. 

Teams are always looking for ways to get better and if you don't impress in those first couple of years, you could be done for. 

Many figured that would have been the case for former West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith, who was a 2nd round draft pick by the New York Jets in 2013. He had a disastrous start to his career throwing 21 interceptions as a rookie and completed just 55% of his pass attempts. Jets fans were already ready to move on from him after just one year in the organization. Not only was Smith not wanted by the fans, but even his head coach, Rex Ryan, didn't want him.

During the pre-draft process, Ryan wasn't all that high on Geno but the Jets took him anyways. After Smith went to the Giants, there was a lot of back and forth between Geno and Ryan through the media. Most notably when Ben McAdoo opted to start Smith in place of Eli Manning and Ryan offered his thoughts on the decision during a segment on NFL Live. 

"I love Geno Smith. Great guy. I just don't want him playing quarterback for me."

Honesty hour with Rex Ryan. pic.twitter.com/azPgyhTABC

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 3, 2017

Smith was set up for failure in New York. The offensive line was a mess, he had no weapons on the outside, no running game, and absolutely no defense to help him out. Not to mention, he was thrown right into the fire and wasn't afforded the opportunity to sit and learn from a veteran quarterback.

Things went from bad to worse when Smith and teammate IK Enemkpali got into a dispute in the locker room over $600 that Smith reportedly owed him. The argument led to Enemkpali punching Smith, which resulted in Geno missing several weeks due to a fractured jaw, essentially knocking him out of his role as the starter.

How low is Rex Ryan? Well, when he took the Buffalo Bills head coaching job, not only did he go and sign Enemkpali, but he made him one of the team captains for the first game against Geno and the Jets. 

There for a while, it felt like the punch and Geno's relationship with Rex Ryan would be how his time in the NFL would be remembered. He bounced around the league serving as the backup to Eli Manning in New York, Philip Rivers in Los Angeles, and Russell Wilson in Seattle.

Then, out of nowhere, the Seahawks made the surprising move to trade Wilson to the Denver Broncos this past summer. The traded netted them young QB Drew Lock along with a couple of other players and several draft picks. Lock and Smith competed for the job in training camp, but head coach Pete Carroll leaned toward Geno the whole time before officially naming him the starter.

No one knew what to expect from Smith, who hadn't been a full-time starter in the league in eight seasons. He played well in place of the injured Russell Wilson in 2021, which is likely what made Carroll feel comfortable in making the move. The national outlook on the deal was that it made Denver an immediate Super Bowl contender while the Seahawks would be in contention for the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Instead, Wilson and the Broncos finished the year 5-12 which led to head coach Nathaniel Hackett getting fired after just one year on the job while Smith had an unbelievable year leading Seattle to the playoffs. 

Geno led the entire league in completion percentage (69.8%) and set franchise records for most passing yards (4,282), completions (399), and passing attempts (572) in a single season. Additionally, he also tossed a personal-best 30 touchdowns and was named AP Comeback Player of the Year.

On Monday, the former Mountaineer star agreed to a three-year, $105 million deal to remain with the Seattle Seahawks. After years of adversity and drama, Smith finally got his second chance in the NFL and he cashed in on it in a big way.

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