Seahawks' Smith not surprised by breakout: I 'know exactly what I can do'
Geno Smith's hot start to the 2022 NFL season may have come out of nowhere to many around the league, but the Seattle Seahawks quarterback isn't surprised at all.
"You've got to be on it every single day," Smith said Thursday of maintaining a pro mentality, according to ESPN's Brady Henderson. "A lot of people wish they were in this position, and I'm grateful to have worked myself into this position. Also, knowing who I am. I'm very set in who I am and know exactly what I can do. So I never bought into the narrative that's been out there."
Smith, who joined Seattle in 2019 to back up Russell Wilson, beat out Drew Lock for the Seahawks' starting quarterback role in the offseason after the team traded Wilson to the Denver Broncos in March.
After missing the playoffs just twice with Wilson under center from 2012-21, the Seahawks were expected to rebuild in 2022. Instead, they've been one of the season's biggest surprises and currently lead the NFC West at 5-3.
Smith - a backup for most of his NFL career - has passed for 1,924 yards and 13 touchdowns against three interceptions while posting a league-high 72.7% completion rate.
"I haven't played in a bunch of years aside from preseason, and I think people are now getting a chance to see me play in this type of offense with these types of players," the 32-year-old said.
He added: "I didn't just get this good over the course of one offseason. I think that's mostly narrative, and a lot of that stuff is media driven. But when it comes down to me, people where I'm from know who I am.
"West Virginia, I just got inducted into the (school's) Hall of Fame, so people in college football know who I am. The New York Jets as well, the (New York) Giants, the (Los Angeles) Chargers, and Seattle.
"So people have continued to let me know that if I just keep working hard that things will happen for you, and that's what I did."
Smith spent his first four NFL seasons with the Jets after they drafted him in the second round in 2013. He started 30 games with the team before being released. He then had one-season stints with the Giants (2017) and Chargers (2018).
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