The Seattle Seahawks will start the season with their new quarterback, Geno Smith, at the helm for the first time in more than ten years. Pete Carroll officially introduced Smith as the starter for Seattle’s regular-season opener against the Denver Broncos in his postgame press conference on Saturday after the Seahawks’ 27-26 preseason loss to the Cowboys on Friday night.
“Geno’s going to start the opener,” Carroll told the media. “He’s earned it. He’s won the job.” In an ironic turn of events, Smith will face Russell Wilson on the first day of the season. The Broncos acquired the former Seahawks quarterback back in March after he played for Seattle for 10 seasons (2012–21).
Geno Smith. QB1. pic.twitter.com/CL3n6am9HK
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 27, 2022
Following his team’s defeat to the Cowboys, Carroll announced that Geno Smith would start in place of Drew Lock against Russell Wilson and the Broncos in Week 1. However, there was a lot of talk about Lock maybe playing this season, so the recommendation was far from resounding.
Up until Lock was hospitalized with COVID-19 in the middle of August, Smith and Lock were vying for the position. When the two men faced Dallas, Smith was treated like a No. 1. He only participated in the first game and completed 3 of 6 passes. With less than two weeks until the game’s start, Seattle will start the Wilson replacement from last year over the quarterback it acquired in Wilson’s offseason trade.
Reading Carroll’s remarks on Friday night, it seems that Lock’s loss of camp time was as much of a factor in the decision as Smith’s performance. Carroll, however, also made a point of praising Smith’s capacity for game management and ball security. Smith didn’t make a mistake during the preseason. On Friday, Lock threw three picks in addition to a touchdown.
Being in Seattle for his third season and having played admirably while Wilson was injured last year gave Smith another inherent edge. In four games, the veteran, 31, completed 68.4 percent of his throws while tossing five touchdown passes and one interception (three starts). He recorded a 103.0 rating and an average of 8.0 yards per attempt. Seattle went 1-2 during his starts, losing both games by three points.
“Geno, he just knows our stuff, he does really well and understands it and he can manage everything that we’re doing, and he’s good about the football,” Carroll said, per NFL.com. “He’ll give us the best chance to be playing great football right off the bat.”
