Mike Vorel: Geno Smith isn't a Seahawks legend, but he still deserves credit

Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times on Mar 9, 2026

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

SEATTLE — Geno Smith is not finished with the NFL. His release from the Las Vegas Raiders does not mean retirement — his departure does not mean he’s done.

But Las Vegas deciding to move on from the 35-year-old quarterback suggests that Smith’s days as a starter on a winning team may very well be over.

The former Seattle Seahawks’ signal caller has one of the more intriguing career arcs in recent NFL history: A college standout who started for two years with the New York Jets before being relegated to second string for seven seasons — then a redemption in Seattle that earned him two straight Pro Bowl nods and a Comeback Player of the Year Award.

Geno is by no means a legend. He isn’t going to make the Hall of Fame, and it’s unlikely he’ll be a Seahawks Ring of Honor member, either. But he has a unique legacy here in the Emerald City: He kept the dog days at bay.

The dealing of Russell Wilson to the Broncos in March 2022 marked the biggest trade in Seahawks history. A perennial MVP candidate was gone after nine Pro Bowl seasons.

Yes, it turned out to be one of the shrewdest moves Seattle general manager John Schneider has ever made in his role, but that wasn’t clear at the time. What seemed likely, though, was that the Seahawks were going to spiral.

The NFL is a quarterbacks league, and the departure of a star can send a team from the penthouse to the cellar. The Seahawks hadn’t been in the divisional basement in over a decade, but it seemed almost certain with a seven-year backup as the leading candidate for the starter’s job.

Then came that first game against Denver (who else?) to start the 2022 season. I don’t know if a “star” was born, but a fan favorite was.

The Lumen Field chants of “Ge-no! Ge-no!” before the game were more about trolling Wilson than elevating Smith. But after Geno led Seattle to a one-point win while completing 23 of his 28 passes for 195 yards, two TDs and a 119.5 passer rating, they became a two-syllable homage.

This isn’t meant to be a history lesson. You know about all of this — including his viral postgame line “They wrote me off, I ain’t write back, though.”

But as Seahawks fans are still celebrating the team’s second Super Bowl win — something that likely wouldn’t have been possible if Schneider didn’t trade Smith to the Raiders last offseason before signing Sam Darnold — it’s worth noting what Geno did here. He kept the franchise relevant when the doldrums were threatening. Hardly akin to a championship, but it’s certainly an achievement.

The Seahawks had three consecutive winning seasons with Smith behind center and made the playoffs once. And during that span, he led the league in completion percentage once (69.8) and had another season in which he completed 70.4% of his attempts. Did he get sacked a lot? Yeah — 50 times in 2024, to be exact. Did he have a turnover issue? Yeah — there were 15 picks in ’24, too. But he also led the league with five game-winning drives in 2023 and had another four the next season.

And he did it all while being engaging in a way that his predecessor wasn’t. I’m not saying Smith is a better guy than Wilson is — his record has some blemishes. But it always felt like you were talking to a real person after games.

That resonates with fans. It’s why they have such an affinity for Marshawn Lynch and Richard Sherman. They’re not always looking for saints, but do want authenticity (or at least the perception of it).

Right now the Seahawks are the baddest football team on the planet. They dominated the regular season and postseason alike, and Darnold was a major reason why. Any doubt people had about him coming on as Smith’s replacement has completely evaporated — and it would surprise few if the Seahawks went back to the Big Game again next year.

It’s a great time to be a fan. But thanks to Geno — it’s been a long time since it’s been a bad time to be a fan.

We’ll see what’s next for Smith, who came off a season in Vegas in which he went 2-13 in his 15 starts. The discussion of whether he can land a starting job or go back to a QB2 role has already begun.

Still, Smith has a career to be proud of — and his best work came with the Seahawks. He’s been gone for over a year now, but he won’t be forgotten.

____