Last season would have been considered a stunning and fairytale-like campaign for the Seattle Seahawks and their quarterback Geno Smith. Remembered for his painful draft fall in 2013, and subsequent failures and embarrassment with the Jets, it appeared that Geno's career was at best carrying a clipboard.
Then, on a fateful March day in 2022, the franchise was changed forever when John Schneider and Pete Carroll traded legendary QB Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos for a massive haul of picks and players. While the world thought the Seahawks would be one of the worst teams in 2022, Geno Smith had other plans.
Projected to win between 4-5 games, the Seahawks went 9-8 and secured the final wildcard spot in the NFC. Projected to be the backup by most, Geno not only won the starting job, but he proceeded to have a historic season. Smith completed 69.8% of his passes for a franchise-record 4,282 passing yards and 31 total touchdowns. His stellar play earned not only a Pro Bowl nod but also the Comeback Player of the Year award. This season was a shocker to just about everyone except…Geno Smith.
3 reasons why Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith will win the MVP award in 2023
Smith has been adamant that he believes he's always been capable of this level of play, and there's zero concern that this is some flash in the pan like the NFL has seen from guys like Tommy Maddox or Derek Anderson. Geno's not one of those guys, and I think he may be loading up for an even bigger year for the Seahawks.
Reason No. 1: Seattle Seahawks offseason was built around Geno
The biggest question for the Seattle Seahawks after their wildcard exit in Santa Clara was what they were going to do with Geno Smith. Did Seattle want to franchise tag Geno? Was an extension possible? Would they let him walk and draft a QB? Armed with two top 20 picks, and multiple QBs that could potentially be on the board, it was fair to wonder which way Seattle would go. The same could be said for Geno. While his past is shaky on paper, his 2023 season was at a top-ten level. He could easily have been an option for teams like New Orleans or Tampa Bay.
Just before the franchise tag deadline, Seahawks fans got incredible news that Geno and the Seahawks had agreed to a 3 year deal. Not only was it a relief to see our pro bowl QB returning, but it was the deal that was signed.
Geno Smith definitely got taken care of in this extension, worth $75 million over 3 seasons. While he did receive a nice signing bonus, the contract details showed an incredibly team-friendly deal that was vital to Seattle's stellar offseason. The cap hit in the first year of his deal is for only $10 million, which is below average in the league, and an absolute steal for a top-ten QB. The deal also includes an easy out for the Seahawks after year one, if things go south. This potential out also keeps Geno's feet to the fire to continue his growth.
With the cap savings from the Geno Smith extension, the Seahawks were able to go out in free agency, and come away as shocking spenders and winners.
The Seahawks signed guard/center Evan Brown from Detroit, who will either be an average starter, or an elite swing IOL, something Seattle has lacked for nearly a decade. On the defensive side of the ball, the Seahawks added some stars. The legend Bobby Wagner returns after a stellar one-year vacation in LA. Joining Wagner is former first rounder Devin Bush, underrated Giants safety Julian Love, and rising star DT Dre Jones.
If Jordyn Brooks and Jamal Adams are able to come back at some point, this defense will have so much more talent than in 2022. This should keep teams from running the ball down Seattle's throat for 40 of the 60 minutes in every loss. With the defensive upgrades, Geno Smith and company should have a huge jump in extra possessions, leading to even more opportunities to put up big numbers.
Reason No. 2: A Seahawks draft that allows Shane Waldron to cook
If the Geno Smith extension was the biggest moment of the offseason, then the 2023 draft was easily second. Thanks to Russell Wilson, the Seahawks had four picks in the top 52 and 10 total, it was a rare opportunity to add elite talent. Thanks to John Schneider sticking to his best player available philosophy, Geno Smith and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron received some major upgrades.
While the defense added two potential blue-chip stars, the offense may have completed some of the best-looking position groups in the NFL. At pick 20, Seattle took the top-ranked receiver in Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Smith-Njigba missed most of last season due to injuries, but his 2021 tape would have made him a top-10 pick in 2022 if he was eligible. With one of the best combine numbers ever in the 3-cone and 20-yard shuttle, Smith-Njigba is a perfect fit in the slot, and could easily become one of the best slot receivers in the league by year one.
At pick 52, the Seahawks did what the Seahawks do, and drafted another running back with UCLA's Zach Charbonnet. While the decision may frustrate fans, it does create a special young running back duo with Walker and Charbonnet. A successful running game will lead to more play-action opportunities, an area where Geno was spectacular last season. Charbonnet is also a fantastic receiving back, something Seattle lacked last year when Travis Homer was hurt.
On day 3 of the draft, the Seahawks drafted the best college center last season in Michigan's Olusegun Oluwatimi, and athletic monster Anthony Bradford from LSU. Together, there's a very real chance Seattle upgrades their offensive line for the second straight season, by rolling with two rookies yet again.
In all, the Seahawks may have one of the best wide receivers trios and running back rooms in all of football. Having great running backs that can take a 3 yard pass for 7-10 yards is huge for an offense. Finally giving Shane Waldron, a Sean McVay disciple, 3 great WRs to properly run the McVay offense could be huge. We may see Waldron reach his best self in Seattle in 2023, which is good news for Geno Smith.
Reason No. 3: The Seahawks schedule will put Geno in contention
The defense and offense being noticeably better in 2023 will be a huge factor in Geno Smith making a run at the MVP award. Another factor is opponents, opportunities, and storylines. Geno will have all three afforded to him.
Seattle will have their fair share of games against bad teams (hello Rams and Cardinals), but the Seahawks schedule has some really great teams and great offensive talents that they'll have to keep up with. Teams like the Eagles, Bengals, Ravens, and Cowboys will force Geno to have to put up probably 30+ points in order to have a chance. If Seattle goes 2-2 against those 4, it probably means Geno was playing like an MVP.
While battles against superstars and MVPs such as Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson are fantastic opportunities, so are some of the primetime games. A Monday night battle against the New York Giants, in New York, is as big of a regular season stage for Geno to exact a little Big Apple revenge. A Thanksgiving night battle at home against Super Bowl-contending San Francisco is another massive stage for Geno to help Seattle win the NFC West, and continue a potentially remarkable storyline of Geno going from Comeback Player of the Year to the MVP.
Can he really do it?
The field is tough, no doubt. Mahomes, Hurts, Burrow, Jackson, and Allen is a tough group to crack. While Geno may not be considered in that group's vicinity, he showed he belonged when his offensive line held up.
The NFC is about as weak as I've ever seen it. There's a realistic shot where 12 wins could get the Seahawks the NFC West crown and a top 2 seed in the playoffs. Pull that off, and I believe Geno Smith will join the likes of Rich Gannon and Kurt Warner as MVP stunners.