Getty Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith looks to pass during the NFC Wild Card playoff game at Levi's Stadium on January 14, 2023.
While the Seattle Seahawks front office is working hard to figure out which 10 players they’ll select in the 2023 NFL Draft, quarterback Geno Smith is doing his part in getting ready for the upcoming season.
Smith, who signed a three-year, $75 million contract extension in March, a deal that could be worth up to $105 million with incentives, has been spending quality time in the gym with physical therapist Dr. Sharif Tabbah, who shared a compilation video of the 32-year-old’s workout regime on Instagram.
Dr. Tabbah captioned the clip, “ALL WORK! @geno. We’ve been grinding out this way, now its time to show off the progress at OTAs and minicamp @seahawks ! It’s about to be another BIG year wait on it! 🤫.” Two days later, the NFL and the Seahawks’ official Instagram accounts reposted the workout video, which quickly racked up 77,000 likes, and caught the attention of Smith’s No. 1 wide receiver, DK Metcalf.
“No way y’all posted this shiiiii 😂,” Metcalf commented, before tagging Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs, who also chimed in to troll their starting quarterback.
Diggs wrote, “@dk14 😂😂😂😂😂 buddy look like somebody grandpa!” While the Seahawks stars are clearly having fun with Smith, the 12s loved seeing the veteran putting in the work. One fan commented on Instagram, “If you aren’t happy to see this man turn it around then you just ain’t ok,” while another person wrote, “I didn’t understand how the comments could be negative about such a motivational post, but then I remembered how many teams this man torched last season. He ain’t writing back. 🔥🔥”
Dr. Tabbah also chimed in using Smith’s famous postgame comment, “NOT WRITING BACK!!! @geno ✍️ 🚫.” While Smith didn’t take his teammates’ bait, he simply replied, “💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽.”
DK Metcalf Gushed Over Geno Smith’s ‘Transition’ to QB1
During an appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on April 14, Metcalf exuded his confidence in Smith, who took over the starting role following Russell Wilson’s blockbuster trade to the Denver Broncos last year. Metcalf said Smith, who helped lead the team to an unexpected 9-8 record and a spot in the Wild Card playoff round, had a major shift both physically and mentally.
“I saw the transition from ‘I’m a backup’ to ‘this is my team.'”
@dkm14 on Geno Smith claiming the QB position in Seattle:
“I believe sitting behind Russ really like motivated him and really showed him how good he could really be in this league cause even at practice, he’s yelling at the practice squad guys to run their routes right. He’s like, ‘This is my opportunity too.’ And I’m like, ‘Ok I respect that because you understand what’s at stake,'” Metcalf said.
“The year we traded Russ and he’s the starter, he comes into training camp and he’s locked in, like body wise, mentally, watching the film. I saw the transition from ‘Ok, I’m a backup’ to ‘Ok, this is my team, I’m a starter.'”
Metcalf says Smith worked hard to earn the respect of his teammates. “Like Week 8, he won the locker room over and he was giving pre-game speeches and people were listening to him, and buying into Geno Smith. I mean, I believed in him from the start, but just to see the transition from people like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s immature,’ and writing him off to, ‘Ok that’s my leader, that’s my quarterback. It was amazing to see.'”
During the 2022 NFL season, Smith’s ninth and statistically best year in the league, he threw for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, along with 366 rushing yards and one rushing score.
Will the Seahawks Draft Another QB in the 2023 NFL Draft?
John Schneider outlines what’s still to come in the final week of draft prep, including a Tuesday meeting with Jody Allen.
With just one week to go before the 2023 NFL Draft, figuring out who the Seahawks will select with their two first-round picks (No. 5 and No. 20) has become a most hotly-debated topic. While the team has expressed interest in top quarterback prospects such as Bryce Young, C.J. Strous, and Anthony Richardson, per Bleacher Report, there are so many other holes Seattle needs to fill.
While ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky believes the Seahawks will take a quarterback at No. 5 if it’s someone “they love,” ESPN’s Matt Miller reported that the Seahawks are likely to prioritize the defensive line over quarterback with their first selection.
Adding another quarterback behind Smith and backup Drew Lock may be a luxury the Seahawks can’t afford, as they only have 52 men on the roster, which general manager John Schneider said during a press conference on Wednesday was due to salary cap restraints.
Schneider said it truly depends on how picks No. 1 through 4 pan out before they can officially decide what to do in the first round. “By next Wednesday, I hope to have way more clarity,” he said.