"Bittersweet" - Geno Smith reveals feelings on replacing Russell Wilson after $296M QB's Denver switch

Geno Smith is one of the greatest success stories to emerge from the 2022 NFL season after his unexpected breakout year. He has spent most of his career as a backup quarterback after failing as a starter on his rookie contract with the New York Jets. He made several stops along the way after that before landing with the Seattle Seahawks as his new home.

Smith was originally signed to serve as a backup for superstar quarterback Russell Wilson. He was unlikely to receive much playing time behind the former Super Bowl winner and Seattle legend, who rarely ever misses a game. His first opportunity to get on the football field for the Seahawks was during the 2021 NFL season when Wilson suffered an in-game injury.

Geno Smith recalled his first experience in a recent letter he wrote in The Players' Tribune:

"When I got on the field in the Thursday Night game two years ago, that was bittersweet. You hate to see your teammate go down, especially someone like Russ who’s been a great friend to me. And we came up short in terms of getting the W, which was extremely disappointing. But after that game? I was buzzing. I can’t even describe it. It’s like I couldn’t stop thinking about how great it felt to finally play in front of the 12s. The energy was unmatched."

The 12s are the extremely supportive fanbase of the Seattle Seahawks, credited with being one of the most dedicated groups of fans in the entire NFL. Geno Smith used that moment as a springboard to further develop his game just in case he ever got another opportunity behind Russell Wilson.

Everything changed during the following offseason. Russell Wilson was shockingly traded to the Denver Broncos in one of the biggest blockbuster deals of all time.

Smith recalled the moment he found out he was likely to be given the opportunity to be the starter moving forward:

"Then in the offseason, I was probably one of the first people to know that a Russ trade might happen. I got a random text from Coach — this was before any of the news broke. And it was just like, “We’re going to need you big-time this year!!” I didn’t know for sure, but I had a pretty good idea of what that meant."

Geno Smith's intuition rang true as he was named the starting quarterback for Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season. He made the most of his unexpected opportunity and actually outplayed Russell Wilson in the process.

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Geno Smith outperformed Russell Wilson in the 2022 NFL season

Russell Wilson and Geno Smith

Russell Wilson struggled through an extremely disappointing first season with the Denver Broncos. He recorded the worst completion percentage and the fewest number of touchdowns in any season of his entire career. The Broncos also finished with a 5-12 record, the worst finish ever by a Wilson-led team.

Geno Smith had the opposite result during the 2022 NFL season. In his first season as a starter since 2014, he set new career highs in just about every possible statistical category. He also helped the Seahawks make an appearance in the NFL Playoffs while earning himself a trip to the Pro Bowl. His breakout year resulted in a three-year contract extension in Seattle.