Seahawks Name Geno Smith QB1 over Drew Lock After Russell Wilson Trade

Geno Smith has beaten out Drew Lock for the Seattle Seahawks’ starting quarterback job.

“He’s going to start the opener,” head coach Pete Carroll told reporters of Smith. “He’s earned it. He won the job.”

Lock, 25, spent his first three years in Denver. In 24 games (21 starts) over three years, he completed 59.3 percent of his passes for 25 touchdowns (20 interceptions) and 6.7 yards per pass attempt. He arrived in Seattle through the Wilson trade.

Smith, 31, has played for the New York Jets, New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers and Seahawks over a nine-year NFL career. He’s been the Seahawks’ backup each of the last two years. In 45 career games (34 starts), he has completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 34 touchdowns (37 interceptions) and 6.9 yards per pass attempt.

Smith had the edge during the preseason, as noted by Carroll on Aug. 9:

He praised both quarterbacks after the team’s 32-25 preseason-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Both quarterbacks were efficient,” Carroll said, per Ryan Decker of wboy.com. “Geno could’ve been 10-for-10. He had two drops, and Noah (Fant) has to stay in bounds on a ball on the sidelines and he hits them all. And we moved the ball pretty well with Drew also.”

Smith started and went 10-of-15 for 101 yards before making way for Lock, who went 11-of-15 for 102 yards and two touchdowns.

Lock notably worked with the 1’s at training camp on Tues., Aug. 16.

As Carroll planned and noted, Lock was supposed to start the Week 2 preseason game against the Chicago Bears. However, Lock tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 16 and had to isolate for five days.

Smith went 10-of-18 for 112 yards in a 27-11 loss to Chicago. Jacob Eason played the rest of the game and went 17-of-35 for 141 yards.

Lock returned to the team on Sunday, Aug. 21, and Carroll told reporters that he would play “a lot” against the Dallas Cowboys in the preseason finale.

In the end, Smith won the competition and now has big shoes to fill.

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Russell Wilson is now out of town after 10 years as Seattle’s starter. He won one Super Bowl and two NFC titles en route to guiding the Seahawks to the playoffs seven times. In addition, Wilson made nine Pro Bowls in 10 years.

Wilson is now a Denver Bronco after the Seahawks traded him away for a package of picks and players.

For the first time since 2011, another quarterback will be leading the Seahawks on to the field now as Smith takes the reins in 2022. The challenge will be great, but at least he has a bevy of talent to work with, including wideouts D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and running backs Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Walker III.