Watch: Star WR DeAndre Hopkins Compares Himself to Geno Smith

Geno Smith’s comeback tour has resonated across the NFL world since he took over as the Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback a year ago. In that time frame, the 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year has gone 14-10 as a starter, including a 5-2 record through seven games this season, while throwing for 5,927 yards, 39 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions in those 24 games.

Smith’s comeback story, which he wrote during his age 32 season and long after he started being labeled as a second-round bust, seems to have resonated with star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins is in the midst of his own comeback season. After being one of the best wide receivers in the NFL from 2014-20, Hopkins fell off the wagon in his final two seasons in Arizona, mainly due to an injury in 2021 and a PED suspension in 2022, limiting him to just 19 games.

Just like Smith, many around the NFL world had started to doubt Hopkins. And just like Smith, Hopkins has appeared to have used those doubting him as inspiration to have a comeback season. After a three-touchdown game against the Atlanta Falcons this past weekend, Hopkins took to a video on social media to say, “They wrote me off. I feel like Geno.”

"They wrote me off. I feel like Geno." – @DeAndreHopkins pic.twitter.com/eyaJT0Y1mh

— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2023

If the quote sounds familiar, that’s because the first part is what Smith said following Seattle’s 17-16 win over the Denver Broncos in week one of last season. In that game, Smith out-dueled former Seahawks franchise quarterback Russell Wilson who Smith replaced. Smith completed 23 of his 28 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.

“They wrote me off, I ain’t write back though.”

Geno Smith with a message 🗣 pic.twitter.com/R1EaKpW3Dt

— ESPN (@espn) September 13, 2022

The two players have had different paths to their comeback seasons with Smith struggling from the moment he infamously fell from a projected top five pick to completely out of the first round of the in the 2013 NFL Draft. Meanwhile Hopkins catapulted to one of the league’s top wide receivers in just his second season with Houston before fizzling out at Arizona.

Despite the different paths, both players seemed to have restored their careers in their early 30s with Smith serving as the inspiration for Hopkins to do so with the Tennessee Titans.

Click here for the rest of WV Sports Now’s coverage of Geno Smith.