Cover Photo: ESPN
Geno Smith is officially in the running for NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year. This comes after an absolutely crazy season from Geno. He is one of three finalists, along with San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley. And there may be great news for the former Mountaineer. Many people believe that he is the favorite to win the award. Smith led Seattle to a postseason appearance and earned a spot on the NFC’s Pro Bowl team while putting up statistics that were right up there at the top of most major passing categories. He did all of this as a full-time NFL starting quarterback for the first time since 2014.
Smith threw for 4,282 yards with 30 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions. He completed a league-leading 69.8% of his passes, posted an 100.9 rating overall and also ran for 366 yards and scored a touchdown on the ground. At one point, Smith’s season reached historic levels in terms of efficiency, tying an NFL record for the most consecutive games completing at least 60% of his passes and doing it with an 80 or better rating. The only other quarterbacks to ever be that consistent efficient wise for as many games in a row in one season are Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers.
Safe to say that coach Pete Carroll made the right choice by choosing Smith, as the veteran journeyman had a season to remember. The Seahawks could now look to give Smith and major pay day this offseason, one that he has clearly earned after setting franchise records and leading Seattle to an appearance in the NFC Wild Card. Everyone wrote him off, but he didn’t write back.
