Seahawks General Manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll spent Thursday praising quarterback Geno Smith, who shocked the NFL world by having by far his best year in his 10th NFL season in 2022, and who has now signed a new contract to remain the Seahawks’ starting quarterback.
Schneider called Smith an inspiration to everyone in the building and to people across the country who have followed his career.
“I want to thank Geno,” Schneider said. “Geno, I want to let you know what an inspiration you’ve been to men, women, young, old, all around the country. Lessons about faith, perseverance, work ethic, being a good person. Watching you last year was awesome and I know you’re super excited about the future. So thank you to you. Thank you for working with us.”
Carroll said Smith, who backed up Russell Wilson for three years before becoming the Seahawks’ starter last year, was the leader Seattle needed in 2022.
“There were a lot of years when Geno had to sit there waiting,” Carroll said. “The story that has been unveiled about believing in yourself and confidence and trust and never giving up, it’s a vivid illustration to see this happen. He always knew, we just had to let it out. That’s what you did, Geno. You always knew that you could do this, and when it happened and the opportunity was there for you to take over the reins, you handled it so flawlessly. We were grateful to watch it happen. It was a blast. We need to win a couple more games, we know that, we need to do a little bit better, but we still did a lot and you accomplished a tremendous amount.”
The Seahawks may still draft a quarterback and move on from Smith a year from now, but even if 2023 is Smith’s final season as the Seahawks’ starter, he has already accomplished more in Seattle than anyone thought possible when he arrived as a backup who had to compete just to make the roster. Smith has persevered.