Seahawks name Geno Smith starting QB for Week 1 vs. Broncos
The Seattle Seahawks' quarterback competition is over with Geno Smith set to start the team's regular-season opener against the Denver Broncos.
"Geno's going to start the opener," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters Friday night. "He's earned it. He's won the job."
Smith, 31, started three games for the Seahawks last season while starter Russell Wilson was out with a finger injury. He led Seattle to a win in one of those three starts and finished the season with five touchdown passes and one interception.
In the offseason, the Seahawks traded Wilson to the Broncos in a massive deal that included quarterback Drew Lock getting sent to Seattle.
Lock, 25, missed time in camp and preseason due to COVID, but played the majority of the team's final preseason game Friday night. He finished a 27-26 loss to the Dallas Cowboys with one touchdown pass and three interceptions.
Smith was a second-round pick for the New York Jets in 2013 and struggled as a rookie with 12 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. In his second season, Smith rebounded from a slow start and capped his year with six touchdowns, two interceptions and a 105.3 passer rating over the team's last four games. That momentum was ended when a broken jaw suffered in August 2015 led to Ryan Fitzpatrick taking the reins at quarterback for the Jets.
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