K.J. Wright: Seahawks QB Geno Smith playing good enough for deal
Oct 12, 2022, 2:29 PM
Geno Smith reacts after a Seahawks touchdown against the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 9, 2022. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Geno Smith is playing quarterback for the Seahawks better than just about anybody expected.
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Through five games, Smith leads all NFL quarterbacks with a 113.1 rating thanks to an exceptionally efficient start to the season. He’s completed 118 of 157 pass attempts for a 75.2 percentage, which also leads the league, and his nine touchdown passes are tied for seventh in the league while his two interceptions are more than only one other QB (Tom Brady) to have played five games this year.
Not bad for a guy who turned 32 years old on Monday and hadn’t been a full-time starter in the NFL in eight years.
Have the Seahawks actually found a long-term answer at QB by going with Smith this year?
“Pay the man,” former Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright said Wednesday on his weekly show on Seattle Sports.
Wright advocated for Smith to get a two-year deal from the Seahawks because of what he’s seen on the field from the veteran signal caller.
“Just take a look at him. You know what good quarterbacks look like, and you know what bad quarterbacks look like. Geno is playing some really good football,” Wright told Seattle Sports’ Mike Salk and Brock Huard.
What really jumps out to Wright is the acumen Smith has shown when identifying opposing defenses at the line, including on a couple of plays in Sunday’s 39-32 shootout loss to the Saints.
“Intellectually he is on point. He’s making checks at the line of scrimmage – that touchdown to Tyler Lockett, I believe he checked to that play. He also made another check, he saw that the defensive line went to an even front (so) he checked to a draw early in the game, so intellectually he is on point. Beautiful arm, his teammates love him, his teammates respect him. Get it done now.”
The connection between @TDLockett12 and @GenoSmith3 keeps getting better.
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— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 10, 2022
What about the potential of drafting a franchise QB in the 2023 NFL Draft, though? After all, the Seahawks will have multiple first-round picks thanks to their trade of Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.
“Depends on how the season ends. … When the opportunity comes, you look into it,” Wright said.
You can listen to the full K.J. Wright Show in the podcast at this link or in the player below.
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