How Geno Smith Has Resurrected His NFL Career In Seattle

Brady, Rodgers, Stafford, and Hurts are all in the same division. Geno Smith is the highest-rated passer in the conference as we approach the midway point of the football season.

Smith was left to die by the professional football community. Over the last six years, the No. 39 pick from the draft had only started five games. According to Spotrac, he's the 38th highest-paid quarterback in the league.

Smith was seen as a stopgap or bridge for a rebuilding team. He was known as the former New York Jets washout because he was the one who replaced Russell Wilson in Seattle.

Smith leads the league with a completion rate of 73.4 despite only so-so support. He trails only Tua Tagovailoa and Josh Allen in QBR. At Football Outsiders, the Seattle passing offense ranks third in the league, and the team is 3-3 with the eighth highest- scoring offense.

Smith has a 119.8 rating on deep passes and a 118.0 rating on third down. Throw in 125 yards, eight first downs and a touchdown on 26 carries, and it's hard to argue that he doesn't deserve a chance at a long-term starting role.

Geno Smith was overlooked for the better part of a decade.

Ryan Fitzpatrick replaced Smith after teammate IK Enemkpali broke his jaw in a locker room altercation. Even though he was only two years into his football career, he was already on thin ice. Smith was not surrounded by Hall of Famers in his early years.

He went eight practices without an intercept before his altercation with Enemkpali. Smith was a member of the New York Giants in his age 27 season after Fitzpatrick punched him.

Smith went to Seattle to back up Wilson after backing up Eli Manning.

I wonder if Smith got a fair shake. There were clues about his potential when he was young, but he never got a chance to prove it. Smith could be another example of a quarterback who doesn't hit their primes until they're older.

Is it possible to sustain it? It's possible under the leadership of Pete Carroll and with the wideouts he has. The broad and advanced metrics are there as well.

He's on track to reset the single-season completion percentage record or finish with a passer rating in the-110 range, and it's worth noting that his best performances thus far came against struggling pass defenses.

Smith is still in the Pro Bowl discussion and there is room for regression.

The front office deserves a lot of credit. Smith is performing better than Wilson despite the fact that Wilson has more offensive support with the Broncos.

That might change. It is probably going to change. Smith's success has been one of the stories of the year and it's fun to see a surprise reclamation project.

Smith has a chance to make a statement against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. He's going to play the Giants next week. He was on two teams that didn't give him much of a chance.

Impressive and victorious performances in those spots could be enough for the Seahawks to start thinking about a long-term deal for an oft-overlooked signal-bearer who is suddenly on track to become one of the NFL's more sought-after free agents this spring.