Geno Smith ‘Still Getting Better’ After Back-To-Back Pro-Bowl Seasons

For his part, Smith said Thursday he likes the way Macdonald is challenging him to continue to grow even as he prepares for his 12^th season in the league.

“Everything can get better,” Smith said. “We’re not going to be complacent, we’re not going to be satisfied, and that goes for on the field as well as off the field. So when he talks about leadership, he talks about leading by example, but also being that vocal leader in the offense and in the huddle, and that’s something that can continue to grow. The way I communicate with teammates, communicate with fans, the community, just every part of leadership, he wants to challenge me, and I embrace that challenge and want to meet it head on.”

And Smith expects that improvement to extend beyond leadership. At 33, Smith says his arm is better and he is running faster—he posted evidence of the latter during offseason workouts—than ever. So at a time when some fans and pundits are wondering how much longer Smith will be Seattle’s starter or debating on how and when to replace him, Smith is only focused on getting better and helping the Seahawks win games.

“I’m still getting better,” Smith said. “I’ve made leaps and bounds physically, I’m still getting stronger at my age. I don’t know if that’s rare or not, but that’s something I’m doing. I’ve gotten faster, I don’t think I’ve ever thrown the ball as good as I am right now. I’m in a really good place, just accuracy wise, and I can throw the ball farther than I ever have. That’s the reason why I think I can still improve, because I work hard and I push myself, and I’m seeing the improvements within myself. The outside noise never bothered me and never will; I know internally what I can do, and I know I’m still not a finished product.”

With Smith feeling stronger and faster than ever, and with the entire offense excited about what they can do under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, Seattle’s Pro-Bowl quarterback is expecting exciting things out of the offense in 2024.

“The big plays, being able to attack defense, and that’s not just in the passing game, but also in the running game,” Smith said when asked about what excites him about the offense. “Having the types of weapons that we have, the type of offensive line that we have, and if we can all jell and mesh together, we can be unstoppable.”