Geno Smith Named Comeback Player of the Year + Most Improved Player by PFWA
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After a storybook season with the Seattle Seahawks, former West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith was named the winner of the Comeback Player of the Year and Most Improved Player awards, voted on by the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA).
Smith becomes only the third player in NFL history to win both awards in the same season, joining Jon Kitna (Bengals, 2003) and Ryan Tannehill (Titans, 2019).
Smith won the starting job in the team's final preseason game, beating out Drew Lock, who was one of the several pieces that Denver sent in the trade for Russell Wilson last offseason.
The former Mountaineer began his career with the New York Jets and had struggles early on, forcing the team to go in a different direction. Smith didn't get his second chance at being a full-time starter in the league until this season in Seattle. He bounced around from the Giants (backing up Eli Manning), Chargers (backing up Philip Rivers), and Seattle (backing up Russell Wilson) before finally getting his shot.
In three starts last season, Smith proved that he was capable of getting the job done which is probably why head coach Pete Carroll felt comfortable moving off of his franchise quarterback.
Smith didn't just impress in his first year back in the driver's seat of the offense, he took the NFL by storm. He led all quarterbacks with a 69.% completion percentage and set franchise records for most passing yards (4,282), completions (399), and pass attempts (572) in a season. After leading the Seahawks, a team that many expected to win four or five games, to the playoffs, Smith was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl.
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