Mountaineers in the Pros

NFL Names Geno Smith Among Finalists for Comeback Player of the Year

Published

1 year ago

January 25, 2023

It was mostly a formality, but Geno Smith has been named a finalist for the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year honor.

The NFL announced Smith along with San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley as the three candidates who were remarkable comeback stories throughout the 2022 season. Not only was Smith always expected to be a finalist, but many believe he could be the favorite to actually win the award.

Pro Football Focus actually already named the Seahawks quarterback as the top comeback player a couple weeks ago. And the West Virginia product’s case is a simple one. Smith led Seattle to a postseason appearance and earned a spot on the NFC’s Pro Bowl team while putting up statistics that were right up there at the top of most major passing categories. He did all of this as a full-time NFL starting quarterback for the first time since 2014.

AP Comeback Player of the Year finalists:
– Seahawks QB Geno Smith
– Giants RB Saquon Barkley
– 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey
Final results announced on February 9th at the NFL Honors.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 25, 2023

Smith threw for 4,282 yards with 30 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions. He completed a league-leading 69.8% of his passes, posted an 100.9 rating overall and also ran for 366 yards and scored a touchdown on the ground.

At one point, Smith’s season reached historic levels in terms of efficiency, tying an NFL record for the most consecutive games completing at least 60% of his passes and doing it with an 80 or better rating. The only other quarterbacks to ever be that consistent efficient wise for as many games in a row in one season are Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers.

Geno Smith Approaching NFL Record for QB Games Streak of Efficiency

Regardless if Smith wins the award or not, his 2022 season will surely be remembered for a long time for how great and improbable it was. Either way, Smith has displayed his motivation to do it all over again and take his game to another level next season, likely back with Seattle.