The 2022 Seattle Seahawks were like finding a crumpled $20 in your jeans pocket after taking them out of the washing machine — a pleasant surprise.
After trading Russell Wilson, once their longtime face-of-the-franchise quarterback, to the Denver Broncos in exchange for three players (QB Drew Lock, TE Noah Fant and DL Shelby Harris) along with five draft picks (two firsts, two seconds and one fifth), it appeared as if the team was punting on the 2022 season. However, with Wilson’s former backup, Geno Smith, outplaying Seattle’s only Super Bowl champion quarterback in Year 1 of the divorce, Seattle snuck into the seventh and final NFC playoff spot at 9-8, becoming one of only two teams this season to reach the playoffs and have multiple first-round picks, joining the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.
With Wilson and now-former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett not jelling, Smith had an incredibly low bar to clear in order to outplay his predecessor. However, he did more than just outplay him: Smith played at a top-10 quarterback level to earn the first Pro Bowl selection of his nine-year career at 32 years old. Simply an unfathomable outcome at this time one year ago. The longtime backup led the NFL in completion percentage (69.8%), set the Seahawks’ single-season passing yards record (4,282) and ranked in the top five in the entire league in both passing touchdowns and passer rating. While initially viewed as a stopgap, Smith may have earned himself a big-money deal over two or three years.
Geno Smith (2022 season)
|
Comp Pct |
69.8%* |
1st |
|
Pass Yards |
4,282* |
8th |
|
Pass TD |
30 |
4th |
|
Passer Rating |
100.9 |
5th |
* Seahawks’ single-season record
The other reason for the Seahawks’ unexpected playoff berth was the unprecedented, immediate impact of their 2022 rookie draft class. Seattle rookies combined to start 70 games this season, tied for the most by any playoff team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, tying the 2018 Indianapolis Colts. Only the Houston Texans, the team with the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, had more rookie starts than the Seahawks, and the 5,641 snaps played by the Seattle rookies were the second-most in the NFL behind only the Chicago Bears, the team with the first overall pick in the 2023 draft. The Seahawks had the rookie leader in starts, snaps played, rushing yards, forced fumbles and interceptions this season, meaning general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete…
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