Geno Smith named Comeback Player of the Year
Geno Smith's spectacular 2022 season keeps getting better.
The Seattle Seahawks quarterback was named the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year at the NFL Honors event on Thursday.
He was a finalist along with San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley. The veteran passer is the first Seahawks player to win the award, which has been given to a quarterback in each of the last five seasons.
Comeback Player of the Year (first-place votes/points):
- Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) February 10, 2023
Geno Smith (28/171
Christian McCaffrey (12/110
Saquon Barkley (4/86)#49ers
Smith, a 10-year veteran who's been a backup for most of his NFL career, put on a show this season, posting a league-leading 69.8% completion rate with 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns against 11 interceptions en route to earning his first Pro Bowl berth.
Many around the NFL expected the Seahawks to rebuild after trading away Russell Wilson in the offseason, but Smith - who didn't earn the starting job until August after a battle with Drew Lock - guided the team to the playoffs with a 9-8 record.
Smith, who originally joined Seattle in 2019, started three games in 2021 while replacing an injured Wilson. The 2013 second-round pick began his career with the New York Jets and made 29 starts in his first two NFL seasons.
Meanwhile, McCaffrey bounced back from consecutive injury-plagued campaigns that limited him to only 10 appearances from 2020-21. The superstar running back began the 2022 season with the Carolina Panthers but was traded to the 49ers in October and became one of football's most explosive players once again. He finished the campaign with 1,880 scrimmage yards and 13 total touchdowns, also throwing a TD in Week 8.
Barkley earned the second Pro Bowl nod of his career in 2022 - the first since his rookie year in 2018. The 25-year-old, who suffered a torn ACL in 2020, wasn't fully healthy for most of the 2021 campaign and finished that season with 593 yards (3.7 per attempt) and two touchdowns on the ground. However, he put his game back on the right track in 2022, rushing for 1,312 yards (4.4 per carry) and 10 scores. He also caught 57 passes for 338 yards.
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