Geno Smith is a starting quarterback again.
The former Jets and Giants quarterback won the Seahawks’ starting job, head coach Pete Carroll announced Friday night after the team’s preseason loss to the Cowboys.
“He’s earned it,” Carroll told reporters. “He won the job.”
Geno Smith won the Seahawks’ starting QB job. Getty ImagesSmith gets the nod over Drew Lock, who notably arrived to Seattle as part of the team’s package in exchange for sending Russell Wilson to the Broncos. Lock, a former second round pick by Denver, was expected to have a strong chance to become the Seahawks’ next signal caller.
Instead, Smith will serve as Wilson’s successor, who, at this point in his career, offers less intrigue and potential than the younger Lock, but perhaps gives the team a better chance to win. The 31-year-old Smith enters his third year with the team, where he’s completed 69 of 100 passes for 735 yards, five touchdowns and one interception in five games. He started three of those contests, recording a 1-3 record.
The 25-year-old Lock threw 25 touchdowns and 20 interceptions, and owned a 59.3 percent completion percentage across three seasons in Denver. He owns an 8-13 record in 21 games as a starter in his career.
‘The time-frames got messed up for us for Drew,” Carroll said. “Drew just ran out of time, in making his bid for it.”
A second-round pick by the Jets, Smith flopped as a starter, recording a 12-18 record while throwing 28 touchdowns and 36 interceptions across four seasons. Notably, Smith, as a backup quarterback with the Giants in 2017, broke Eli Manning’s historic consecutive games played streak when Ben McAdoo and team brass, in search of a spark, decided to give him a start midseason — a decision that incensed fans and likely played a significant factor in McAdoo’s firing and downfall.
Now, Smith can hope that third time’s the charm as an NFL starting quarterback.
