Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith leaves the field following the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Embarrassing Geno Smith stat a black eye for the Seattle Seahawks offensive line

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Randy Gurzi | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Geno Smith shocked the world when he took over for Russell Wilson as the Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback in 2022. Wilson was the face of the franchise and had a Super Bowl win under his belt, whereas Smith was considered a bust who would never get a chance to start again.

He proved the doubters wrong with three impressive seasons as the starter in Seattle. Last season, he was especially dialed in, as he completed 70.4 percent of his attempts for 4,320 yards. That said, he could have put up an even more impressive stat line if not for his teammates.

Kevin Patra of NFL.com highlighted the league's unluckiest players from 2024, with Smith making it for how many yards he lost due to penalty. According to Patra, 249 yards were lost due to penalties.

"Smith put up a career-high 4,320 yards passing in 2024 in a pass-happy Seattle offense. That figure could have been higher if not for yellow hankies. Smith (now with the Raiders) had 249 passing yards negated by penalties in 2024, the most in the NFL." — Patra, NFL.com

Most of this would be due to the offensive line, which is why there are concerns heading into 2025. Smith, who is now with the Las Vegas Raiders, has been replaced by Sam Darnold. While he had a stellar season with the Minnesota Vikings, Darnold has historically struggled when the offensive line didn't play up to par.

Seattle hopes the addition of first-round pick Grey Zabel will help. If not, it could be Darnold who finds himself being labeled "unlucky" in 2025.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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