For a long time the answer to the question in the headline was unquestionably Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett. Despite consistently producing at least 900 yards and eight touchdowns a year, Lockett never really caught on as a household name outside of the Pacific Northwest. His remarkable catch rate and antics in the clutch should have made him a perennial Pro Bowler, but to date Lockett has only gotten that honor once.
Lockett is coming off a somewhat down 2023 season, managing just 894 yards and five touchdowns as he split targets with DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That decline coincides with the rise of another even more underrated player for the Seahawks over the last couple of years. Now the easy and clear answer to that question is quarterback Geno Smith.
Labels can be difficult for pro athletes to shed, especially if the prevailing narratives have been around for a long time. In Smith's case to the average NFL fan he's the former New York Jets quarterback who became a career backup and the most interesting thing he did between 2015-2021 was getting punched in the face by a teammate.
Many fans will probably never get over their time-hardened opinions of Smith as a below-average, backup-at-best kind of quarterback, but those who have been paying attention the last couple of years understand that Geno has transcended all of that and is now one of the better passers in the league.
Stepping up to replace Russell Wilson as the team's starter in 2022, Smith showed that his game has grown by leaps and bounds since he played for the Jets early in his career. After not breaking 60% his first two years Smith led the NFL in completion rate in 2022 (69.8%) and has also become arguably the league's best deep ball thrower not named Patrick Mahomes. Smith's aggressive instincts combined with a new-found touch and accuracy that weren't there early in his career have made him one of the league's most-dynamic starters, even if his numbers haven't matched other star QBs.
In addition to improving his accuracy and decision making to avoid turnovers, Smith has become a mensch at avoiding sacks. Last season only Mahomes had a better pressure-to-sack ratio among starters and Smith has done this while playing behind one of the league's worst offensive lines when it comes to pass protection.
Overall Smith is playing at a fringe top-10 level, on par with younger stars like Trevor Lawrence. However, he's costing the Seahawks less than half what Lawrence is Jacksonville, coming in at $25 million per year. Jordan Love's extremely team-friendly contract with Green Bay is one exception, but it's difficult to find a better value at this position in the NFL right now.
Geno Smith has earned the respect of any discerning NFL fan, so let the old narratives die and forget everything you think you know about his game. Watch his performance against a lethal Dallas pass rush last season and you'll see a QB who can elevate his game to an elite level even in the worst possible circumstances.
