One can hate Geno Smith the player all they want. (To be fair, strongly disliking Smith the person is unfair as most of us do not know him other than what we see on the field.) But the fact is that he has been a productive player. So much so that he ranks among the five best quarterbacks in Seattle Seahawks history.
The best quarterback is Russell Wilson. One might try to argue otherwise, but statistically, there is no real debate. Wilson leads the Seattle football franchise in passing yards, touchdown passes, lowest interception percentage, wins by a starting quarterback, quarterback rating, and on and on. Some might not like the way Wilson left, but while with the Seahawks, he was a very good quarterback.
The only true debate is who is the second-best quarterback. An argument can be made between Matt Hasselbeck, Dave Krieg, and Jim Zorn. Krieg might have the upper hand in some categories, but Hasselbeck also took the team to its first Super Bowl appearance. Zorn played somewhat well on some terrible teams in the Seahawks' formative years.
There is little argument that Geno Smith is one of the best Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks ever
But Geno Smith is likely the fifth-best quarterback in the history of the team. Statistically, there is no debate; he is number five and then there is a far fall to number six. Smith ranks fifth in passing yards, touchdowns, and wins. If one wanted to make the argument Smith is the second-best Seattle QB ever, then they might point to completion percentage, which is first in Seattle history.
Smith's interception percentage is not bad, either, even though he has thrown 15 in 2024. It is 2.0, which is just a bit below Wilson's and far better than Hasselbeck's, Zon's, or Krieg's. Sure, the game is different now than when Krieg or Zorn played, but Smith has been an overly efficient player even compared to other quarterbacks of the last three seasons.
This is not to say Smith is one of the better quarterbacks in the league, but sometimes context is the true mirror. 12s can complain about Smith's decisions in the red zone this year, but he also is working with an offensive coordinator in Ryan Grubb, who appears to have a limited imagination when the team is close to the opposing team's end zone.
Smith is not a bad quarterback. Historically speaking in terms of Seahawks lore, he is one of the best. That means there is no guarantee that whichever quarterback eventually replaces Smith will ever be as good.