NFL QB Rankings: Seahawks' Geno Smith 'A Step Down'
Much was expected of this year's Seattle Seahawks team after their efforts with Geno Smith in 2022. The Seahawks made the playoffs in the first season post-Russell Wilson and led the San Francisco 49ers in their Wild Card playoff game, only to be overrun in the second half.
The 2023 season didn't pan out as many thought as the Seahawks missed the playoffs after starting the year 6-3 with Geno under center. His salary is now fully guaranteed for next season, meaning new head coach Mike Macdonald sees Smith as the quarterback to lead the team in 2024.
USA TODAY
When ranking all starting quarterbacks from this season (66), where did Smith land in NFL.com's list? After finishing ninth in 2022, Smith finds himself at No. 19 this time around.
“Smith spent most of 2023 defining the Dalton Scale, occupying the space that separates teams who have a playoff-worthy quarterback from those who don’t," NFL.com wrote. "It was a step down for Smith after he posted a career year that was so impressive, it prompted the Buccaneers to hire his quarterbacks coach as their offensive coordinator.
There's a couple of questions regarding Smith's ranking. We aren't suggesting that Geno had a "great" season, but when looking at some of the quarterbacks ahead of him, it's reasonable to scratch your head.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson came in at 18th after playing just four games (2-2) and throwing for 577 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow was 16th, playing 10 games (5-5) and Minnesota Vikings veteran Kirk Cousins was 10th, playing eight games, and was 4-4 as the starter.
Are we sure that those three had a better "entire regular season" than Smith?
He led the Seahawks to an 8-7 record, threw for 3,624 yards, 20 touchdowns, and nine interceptions while having five game-winning drives. This earned a second straight trip to the Pro Bowl after being named an injury replacement.
The Seahawks are in a good space at the quarterback position heading into next year with Smith's hands on the wheel. Maybe he'll have a little extra motivation after seeing this quarterback rankings list.
